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Columbus Crew vs Inter Miami live score: MLS score, updates, stats as Lionel Messi faces possible title game preview

Lionel Messi and Inter Miami will get a first look at what a potential MLS title game could look like when the Herons travel to face the Columbus Crew on Wednesday night.

With only a few games remaining in the regular season, both teams are preparing for the upcoming playoffs that begin later this month.

Inter Miami leads the Supporters' Shield standings and can clinch the regular season crown with a win today, but they are still new to the MLS postseason, having only made the playoffs twice before and never past the first round came out.

The Crew, meanwhile, need to win to keep their slim Supporters' Shield hopes alive, but know that as defending league champions they will still be strong contenders for a repeat performance.

The Sporting News follows the Columbus Crew vs. Inter Miami game live and offers current scores, comments and highlights.

Latest live updates | Team news and lineups

Columbus Crew vs Inter Miami live score

Result (1H) Goal scorers
Columbus crew 0 –
InterMiami 0 –

Kickoff: 7:57 p.m. ET / 4:57 p.m. PT
Location: Lower.com Field (Columbus, OH)
Referee: Drew Fischer

Starting lineups:

Columbus Crew (3-4-3, right to left): 28. Schulte (TW) – 31. Moreira, 4. Camacho, 18. Amundsen – 23. Farsi, 20. Matan, 6. Nagbe, 27. Arfsten – 9. C. Hernandez, 17. C. Ramirez, 10. Rossi .

Inter Miami (3-5-2, right to left): 1. Callender (TW) – 32. Allen, 5. Busquets, 17. Fray – 57. Weigandt, 20. D. Gomez, 42. Bright, 56. Redondo, 18. Alba – 10. Messi, 9. Suarez.

MORE: Find out which games are streaming for free each week with Apple TV's MLS Season Pass

Columbus Crew vs Inter Miami live updates, highlights and commentary

30th minute: There were a number of confusing refereeing decisions in the first half hour of this game. We still don't know why Inter Miami's opening game was not recognized, and then Columbus will be saddened by the disciplinary decision a few minutes ago between Mohamed Farsi and Sergio Busquets.

Be that as it may, we continue to play, and one can assume that the temperature of the game will only rise…

26th minute: The first yellow card is shown to Mohamed Farsi as a foul on Sergio Busquets causes some heat between the teams. Cucho Hernandez is angry and pleads for a different decision because Farsi is sick and needs treatment.

On replay it looks like Hernandez is having an argument as it appears that Busquets and not Farsi was the one who was malicious in the challenge as he is shown pulling up his cleats as the Columbus midfielder comes flying in . There is a conversation with VAR. …but the check is completed and the crowd in Columbus is enraged. Busquets gets away with a bad tackle, that was bad.

Ultimately, at least for Columbus, Farsi was never shown a yellow card, so it appears that at least the referee's team decided not to make that decision.

25th minute: Chance, Inter Miami! Now it's Inter Miami who have the ball in the net, only to find it ruled out! Lionel Messi plays a corner too short before getting it back and sending it into the goal again with his left side, and the ball is directed into the net, either by Marcelo Weigandt's head or by a defender!

For some reason it's ruled out, but no one knows exactly why! Lionel Messi wags his finger, but to no avail!

24th minute: Since the early Columbus spark, this game has been extremely slow and without much attacking intent. Both teams feel comfortable as time runs out and they come into halftime with the score relatively even.

14th minute: Inter Miami survived the early pressure from Columbus and now managed to move forward a few times themselves. Keep playing.

8th minute: Chance, Columbus Crew! Cucho Hernandez slams the ball into the net from an extremely acute angle, after which there is all the noise in the Lower.com field, as if a goal had been scored, but the flag is offside! The replay shows it was the right decision, with the crew star leaning right over Ian Fray's shoulder.

Strangely enough, the pitch is covered in yellow smoke as the home fans couldn't hold back their fire!

5th minute: In the first five minutes, Inter Miami desperately tried to play out of their own half and Columbus Crew pressed extremely high, making life difficult. It hasn't resulted in a high turnover yet, but the Herons were far from impressive trying to possess the ball in a nervous area.

Start: You're in Columbus! The MLS regular season title is on the line as the campaign draws to a close! Lionel Messi hasn't played in any of the previous meetings between these two teams this season, so he gets his chance here today.

Columbus Crew vs. Inter Miami: Pre-match comments, analysis, more

15 minutes until kick-off: Inter Miami head coach Tata Martino says “consistency throughout the entire 90 minutes” will be the key to winning the Supporters' Shield tonight. He says he wants the Herons to be a little more composed in front of goal and for them to come out victorious. Confidence from the visitors!

30 minutes until kick-off: Besides the Supporters' Shield, there's something else at stake for Inter Miami tonight. They need to win to maintain hopes of setting an MLS regular season points record. A few weeks ago it seemed all but certain that they would set a new milestone, but after a few recent slip-ups it's now a much more difficult task.

Inter Miami is eight points behind the record of 73 set by the New England Revolution in 2021, meaning they need to win with three games left to rewrite the history books.

45 minutes until kick-off: Lionel Messi will win the 46th major trophy of his illustrious career if Inter Miami win tonight.

For fans new to Major League Soccer, here's an explanation of what the Supporters' Shield is, what it would mean to Inter Miami, and how it differs from the MLS Cup.

1 hour until kick-off: The starting lineups for this game are set, and Lionel Messi IS was included in the Inter Miami XI despite concerns that he might be rested.

For Crew head coach Wilfried Nancy, the only change from the expected lineup is Jacen Russell-Rowe leaving and being replaced by Christian Ramirez at the helm.

1 hour and 15 minutes to kick: Given what's at stake, many smart MLS people are calling this the biggest regular-season game in league history. Do you agree? If not, what is bigger? There's nothing more intense than two teams – against the defending champions and one with the best player of all time – fighting for the regular season title with three games to go!

1 hour 30 minutes to kick: Inter Miami is getting a lot of headlines, a lot of attention and a lot of talk this season and they have relieved that attention with their place at the top of the table, but they are not in the best of form at the moment. What the Columbus Crew would most like to do tonight is remind MLS viewers who the defending champions are and who is still the favorite to win the MLS Cup.

1 hour 45 minutes to kick: Everything is on the line for Inter Miami tonight – a win will secure the Supporters' Shield.

For Columbus Crew, the path to the MLS regular season title is a little more unclear, but it starts with avoiding defeat tonight. In all likelihood, a win is necessary for the math to make sense. They still have a game in hand, so a win would take them within five points with three games to go, which is a reasonable gap to make up.

2 hours until start: After missing the World Cup qualifiers in September, Lionel Messi has been recalled to the Argentina national team for this month's games!

Columbus Crew vs. Inter Miami kick-off time

This MLS regular season game begins on Wednesday, October 2nd at 7:45 p.m. local time in Columbus, Ohio at Lower.com Field. Here's how this time is reflected in some of the most important areas around the globe:

Date Kick-off time
USA/Canada Wed, Oct 2nd 7:45 p.m. ET
USA/Canada Wed, Oct 2nd 4:45 p.m. PT
United Kingdom Thu, Oct 3rd 00:45 BST
Australia Thu, Oct 3rd 9:45am AEST
India Thu, Oct 3rd 5:15 AM IST

Columbus Crew vs. Inter Miami lineups, team news

Columbus coach Wilfried Nancy enjoyed exceptional availability in his squad for much of the season and only had one backup goalkeeper Evan Bush the only extended absence for much of the year.

Defensive midfielder Sean Zawadzki has missed each of the last two games with a rib injury and could miss again today, but otherwise they are in great shape with the playoffs approaching.

Columbus Crew starting lineup (3-4-3): Schulte (GK) – Moreira, Camacho, Amundsen – Farsi, Matan, Nagbe, Arfsten – C. Hernandez, C. Ramirez, Rossi.

Columbus Crew substitutes (9): Hagen (GK), Herrera, Yeboah, Cheberko, DeJ. Jones, A. Jackson, Der. Jones, Chambost, Russell Rowe.

Tata Martino's defensive line is nearing a breaking point with the playoffs looming. Tomas Aviles is suspended for receiving another yellow card in the last game against Charlotte FC Nicolas Freire is out for this year due to a torn cruciate ligament David Martínez continues to recover from a groin injury. Serhiy Kryvtsov, Noah Allenor Ian Fray will probably fill in as a central defender Sergio Busquets.

Fortunately, Lionel Messi is fit for the endurance run and starts despite the weekly opportunity to be rested for the playoffs. Facundo Farias stays out with a torn cruciate ligament and Leo Afonso is not yet back from his groin injury. Matias Rojas has recovered from his ankle injury and should start up front.

For today, Julian Gressel is rested in midfield, replaced by Yannick Bright.

Inter Miami starting lineup (3-5-2): Callender (TW) – Allen, Busquets, Fray – Weigandt, D. Gomez, Bright, Redondo, Alba – Messi, Suarez.

Inter Miami substitutes (9): Ustari (GK), Negri, Kryvtsov, Gressell, Cremaschi, D. Ruiz, Taylor, Rojas, Campana.

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