Lionel Messi hit the bar with two free kicks when Inter Miami was held on Sunday into a scoreless draw by the Chicago Fire in MLS.
Four days after his Concacaf Champions League Heroics against Los Angeles FC and with reports that suggest that he will extend his contract with another year, Messi went painfully close to a winner twice.
The least deflections of the Chicago wall carried his 64th minute effort on the bar, while he also hit the woodwork when he tried to mislead Chris Brady from another set piece in the 86th minute.
Only a minute after that second attempt, Luis Suarez thought he had won it when he defeated Brady with a side foot volley, only for the offside flag raised.
But Chicago also had their chances, with Philip Zinkkernagel who hit the mail from an acute angle in the first half.
The clearest opening of the game fell a minute of the time for Maren Hail-Selassie, only for the fire brigade that would poke open goals after Oscar Ustari could only parry the strike of Jonathan Bamba.
The draw – and wins for Charlotte FC and FC Cincinnati elsewhere elsewhere in the weekend – sees Miami to fourth place in the Eastern Conference, although a victory in their game in hand above the Columbus crew would take.
Chicago is eighth with 12 points of their first eight games under Gregg Berhalter.
.@Columbuscrew leads the Eastern Conference Race. pic.twitter.com/L9LFYDYU9O
– Major League Soccer (@MLS) April 14, 2025
Debrief data: Messi Run stopped
In Sunday's game, Messi had gone three consecutive games of the regular season with a goal and five straight ahead with a target involvement.
He had five shots on Soldier Field, a count only matched by Brian Gutierrez in Chicago, while no one had more touches in the penalty area than Messis four.
But on this occasion the woodwork frustrated him when Miami's four-game winning streak on the road ended up in MLS.
Chicago has now avoided the defeat in five of their last six home games, although four of them are a draw (one victory, one loss).
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