Lionel Messi nets in Miami draw in last game before Copa America - ESPN

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Lionel Messi scored his 12th goal of the season in his last Major League Soccer match before the Copa America, and MLS-leading Inter Miami CF came from behind to tie St. Louis City 3-3 on Saturday night.

Miami (10-3-5, 35 points) took a two-point lead atop the Eastern Conference standings and in MLS overall, ahead of second-place Cincinnati (10-3-3, 33 points), which did not play Saturday.

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Luis Suárez also scored his 12th goal for Inter Miami, and Jordi Alba had the tying goal in the 85th minute.

Messi will join Argentina next week on a quest to defend the Copa America title it won in 2021, when the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner tearfully lifted his first major trophy for his national team, filling in one of the biggest gaps in his decorated career.

«Knowing the player that he is for us, it's hard, but the team will continue to compete as much as possible, and that will be noticed,» Alba said of Messi's departure. «It's an important absence for us, but we hope he does well in Copa America, we hope he has a great tournament and joins us again when it's time. If that's after the final, well, but in the meantime, the team will continue to fight and play.

»Tonight, the team competed, and we left our hearts out there. We suffered, but in the end, we got a point. The team continues to lead in the East, and that's important."

Suárez and Messi are now tied for the team lead in goals and are one shy of the MLS lead behind Cristian Arango of Real Salt Lake and Christian Benteke of D.C. United, who both have 13. Messi's 12 have come in four fewer games than Arango (16 games) and three fewer than Benteke.

Chris Durkin and former Inter Miami player