Messi, Suárez, Berterame Named to MLS Team of the Matchday

Inter Miami's front three swept the Matchday 31 honors. Lionel Messi was named to the MLS Team of the Matchday as a starter, with Luis Suárez and Germán Berterame joining him on the bench after their decisive roles in Saturday's 3-1 win at Atlanta United — a performance that gave Messi yet another league record.

Three names on the teamsheet

Inter Miami CF captain Leo Messi and forwards Luis Suárez and Germán Berterame have been named to the Major League Soccer Team of the Matchday presented by Audi for Matchday 31 of the 2026 regular season. The three players earned the honor after their influential roles in Inter Miami's 3-1 road win against Atlanta United FC on Saturday night.

Messi was named among the starters in midfield, while Suárez and Berterame took spots on the bench. Laurent Courtois of the Columbus Crew was named Coach of the Matchday. The selections were announced Monday, October 19 — the day after Messi's double at Mercedes-Benz Stadium took him past yet another piece of league history.

Messi sets an assists record that may never fall

Messi features in the Team of the Matchday for the 12th time this regular season after bagging a brace and recording an assist in the victory against Atlanta. The Argentine maestro's two goals came in quick succession — in the 56th and 60th minutes — and he added what Inter Miami described as a historical secondary assist in the build-up to the match's first goal, Berterame's opener just before halftime.

That assist took Messi to 15 for the regular season, making him the first player in MLS history to record at least 15 assists in three consecutive seasons. The 39-year-old has now scored 25 goals in 27 appearances this campaign and leads the race for the 2026 MLS Golden Boot. As MLSsoccer.com put it, he is trending toward a historic third straight Landon Donovan MLS MVP award.

Suárez reaches 100 with a vintage provider's night

Suárez earned his sixth Team of the Matchday selection of the season after contributing two assists against Atlanta. The Uruguayan striker served a precise cross for Berterame's 45th-minute opener, then played what Inter Miami called an exquisite threaded pass with the outside of the boot into Messi's path for the 60th-minute goal.

The pair of assists marked a historic milestone for the club: Suárez became just the second player to reach 100 goal contributions for Inter Miami. He has now contributed 15 goals and 12 assists in 26 appearances this league campaign — and at 39, he is still deciding games with the weight of a pass rather than just the power of a finish.

Berterame announces himself

Berterame was selected for the Team of the Matchday for the second time this regular season after his goal and assist on Saturday night in Atlanta. The Mexican international opened the scoring in the 45th minute with a header from the center of the box, then combined quickly with Messi to help the captain break into the box for the 56th-minute goal.

His goal and assist lifted his season tally to nine goals and 10 assists in 26 appearances. In a front three featuring two of the greatest players of their generation, Berterame is carving out a reputation as the engine that makes the machine run.

The match in context

The 3-1 win in Atlanta was Inter Miami's third consecutive regular-season victory, following the 4-0 rout of D.C. United and the 2-0 playoff-clinching win over New York City FC. Miami held on after Fafà Picault converted an 89th-minute penalty for the hosts, and the result kept the Herons second in the Eastern Conference with 55 points from 30 matches.

For Atlanta, the defeat was another damaging blow in a season gone wrong. Tata Martino's return to the Five Stripes has not produced the expected revival, and with only a handful of regular-season games remaining, Atlanta's chances of reaching the playoffs are now extremely slim — though not yet mathematically dead.

What comes next

Inter Miami now turn to Saturday, October 24, when they visit Red Bull New York at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey, at 5:30 p.m. ET. The meeting comes at the end of a stretch that has seen Miami finally find its rhythm — three straight league wins and a playoff place already secured. It will be Miami's final regular-season tune-up before the Audi 2026 MLS Cup Playoffs begin.

With the postseason approaching and Messi, Suárez and Berterame all producing at once, the timing could hardly be better. The front three have now been recognized together on the league's team of the week. Opponents preparing for October and November will have noticed.

The bigger picture across Matchday 31

Elsewhere on the Team of the Matchday, Orlando City's Antoine Griezmann also produced a two-goal, one-assist performance, setting up Martín Ojeda for a Goal of the Year contender with an audacious scorpion-kick finish as Orlando smashed D.C. United 4-1. Columbus Crew pulled within a point of a playoff spot with a 2-0 Hell is Real triumph at FC Cincinnati, and Houston Dynamo clinched their postseason berth in a 2-2 Texas Derby draw with FC Dallas.

But the headline belonged to Miami. Three attackers, three selections, one record. At this stage of the season, that is exactly what a team chasing back-to-back MLS Cups needs from its stars.

Recognition like this also matters beyond the weekly honor roll. With awards season approaching, every Team of the Matchday nod strengthens the case for Messi's MVP candidacy and for Miami's attacking trio being the most productive unit in the league. Suárez's century of contributions for the club is a milestone few imagined when he reunited with Messi in pink, and Berterame's emergence gives Miami a third dimension opponents cannot simply game-plan away. Heading into the final stretch, Miami's season now runs through all three of them, and their combined numbers — 49 goals and 37 assists — explain exactly why Miami sits near the top of the East.

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