Robert Taylor provided one of the highlights of the game in the 43rd minute with a curling strike into the right corner.
But it was all Messi otherwise, with the 36-year-old even providing the assist for Taylor’s stunning goal while scoring a pair of his own in an electric first-half display.
It was the first time in Inter Miami’s history that they had a three-goal lead at halftime.
Messi’s first goal came in the eighth minute courtesy of a beautiful pass from Sergio Busquets, tapping it home after his initial shot bounced off the post.
“He’s still trying to get a feel of how everything functions over here. So I think for myself as well as some of the other players, we are just making him feel welcome, making him feel like he’s one of our teammates and just making him feel comfortable here.
“I try to chat with him when I can to make him feel like he’s a part of the team. Again, just treat him like one of my teammates. I think he’s somebody who, wherever he goes, there are all these cameras and lights. People want him to sign things and people want to talk to him. So I just try and be as normal as I possibly can,” Callender added.
While Messi inevitably grabbed the headlines, former Barcelona midfielder Busquets also looked instantly at ease with his new team, reforging his old understanding with the Argentine.
Canadian central defender Kamal Miller said that having one of the finest passers of the ball in front of him requires a different approach to distribution from the back.
“Definitely with a player of that quality, we always want to look to go through him. He can thread the needle and find the killer pass at any time, so it’s something that we look for a lot. And having a guy with that quality, it attracts so much attention, it opens up space for everyone else, so I think we’re all going to benefit from it,” he said.
