Lionel Messis superb second-half strike was not enough as Inter Miamis hopes of regaining the MLS Supporters Shield were hit by a 2-2 draw against Eastern Conference leaders Nashville SC at Nu Stadium on Saturday night. Messi scored with a trademark left-footed curling strike in the second half but Sam Surridge had the final say with a dramatic injury-time equaliser as Nashville preserved their nine-point lead at the top of the table.Surridge had earlier given Nashville an early lead only for visiting defender Reed Baker-Whiting to glance Messis corner into his own net after 19 minutes.The Argentine superstar was a constant threat and had two more chances to make it 2-1 before half-time. His first effort was blocked and the second, a free-kick from outside the area, flew just wide.He did find the back of the net shortly after the hour mark, trading passes with Rodrigo De Paul, before placing his shot past Nashville goalkeeper Brian Schwake. It was Messis 19th goal of the season, moving him one ahead of FC Dallas Petar Musa in the race for the Golden Boot.Table of ContentsSurridge has final say to deny Messi and MiamiNashville march on as Messis hopes wiltSurridge has final say to deny Messi and MiamiSchwake kept his side in the contest, tipping Messis shot on to the post, before Nashville defender Jeisson Palacios produced a brilliant last-ditch headed clearance to deny him again.And Nashville applied the sucker punch late on when Surridge tapped in after Shak Mohammeds shot was palmed into his path by home goalkeeper Dayne St Clair.There was still time for De Paul to hit the post but Nashville held on. The draw means Miami, who claimed the Supporters Shield in 2024, have won just one of the last nine games in all competitions.Defender Facunda Mura said: Obviously, theres frustration feeling like we were the better side only to have the three points snatched away in the final moments. But theres also the feeling that the team did manage to keep possession and create scoring chances.We need to improve so that we dont always have to score so many goals just to get the win; we need to feel a bit more secure at the back and stop conceding, so that the goals we do score are enough.Guillermo Hoyos continues to lead the side while Miami wait for a work visa for new coach Kily Gonzalez. Hoyos is likely to be in charge again for Wednesday nights Campeones Cup clash with Mexican side Cruz Azul.We have great players, and we have to compete for every trophy we play for, Mura added. Unfortunately, things havent gone our way in the CONCACAF Champions Cup or the Leagues Cup. We havent gotten the results we wanted; were well aware of that. But ultimately, were here to keep working and keep growing.Were starting a new phase with a new coach, and we all know we need to give more to help the team improve and reach a higher level especially since we have a final coming up in just four days that we really want to win. Major League Soccer 2026 USA Western Conference #TeamPlayedWonDrawnLostGFGAGDPtsLast 5 1 Vancouver Whitecaps23144552213146 W L W W L 2 Houston Dynamo2513483228443 L W D D L 3 FC Dallas2512764942743 W W W D L 4 San Jose Earthquakes2512584436841 W W D D L 5 St. Louis City2511864235741 W D W D W 6 Los Angeles FC26117841271440 L W D D D 7 Colorado Rapids25112123332135 W D L W L 8 Portland Timbers2595114747032 L D W L D 9 San Diego2486104237530 L L W W L 10 Los Angeles Galaxy2679103140-930 D L W L D 11 Real Salt Lake2485113739-229 L L D L L 12 Minnesota United FC2578103743-629 L L L D W 13 Seattle Sounders237792530-528 D D D D L 14 Austin2468103043-1326 D D W D W 15 Sporting Kansas City2453162659-3318 W L L L D Position 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 : Promotion MLS (Play Offs: 1/8-finals) Position 8, 9 : Promotion MLS (Play Offs: 1/16-finals) Eastern Conference #TeamPlayedWonDrawnLostGFGAGDPtsLast 5 1 Nashville SC25166350212954 D L D W W 2 Inter Miami25129461461545 D D W L D 3 New England Revolution2412483930940 W L W D W 4 Charlotte2511774536940 D W D W W 5 Chicago Fire23116644331139 D D D D W 6 Orlando City SC25104114456-1234 W W W D W 7 New York City FC258893933632 W L D D D 8 FC Cincinnati248885259-732 D L L D W 9 Philadelphia Union2486104139230 W W W D D 10 New York Red Bulls2586113348-1530 W L D L D 11 DC United2461173037-729 D W D L L 12 Toronto FC2561183846-829 L W D D W 13 Columbus Crew2565143542-723 L L W L L 14 Atlanta United FC2565142943-1423 D L L W W 15 CF Montreal2556143151-2021 L L L L D Position 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 : Promotion MLS (Play Offs: 1/8-finals) Position 8, 9 : Promotion MLS (Play Offs: 1/16-finals) Nashville march on as Messis hopes wiltWhile there was frustration for Miami, it was a superb result for Nashville, who are now in pole position to land silverware with just nine games remaining in the regular season.This was a big boys game tonight, Nashville head coach BJ Callaghan said. Two really good teams going toe to toe.I thought the game had a lot of intensity, a lot of physicality, some high-level play. Really proud of the group.Nashville are in action again next Saturday when they face Chicago Fire at GEODIS Park. Topics Inter Miami CF Lionel Messi Nashville SC Add us as a preferred source on Google If you enjoy reading this article, you can help support our independent football journalism by adding 101 Great Goals as a preferred source You Should Also Read Inter Miami v Nashville: Preview, expected line-ups, stats Mitch Fretton 11th September, 2026 Who are you dummy? 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