Lionel Messi scored the 899th goal of his career to help Inter Miami to a 2-1 win over D.C. United on Saturday in front of 72,026 fans at the home of the Baltimore Ravens.

With interest in Messi obviously high, the game was held in downtown Baltimore instead of at D.C. United’s smaller venue in Washington. Messi gave many fans what they came to see when he put Inter Miami (2-1-0) ahead 2-0 in the first half.

“It’s definitely nice to be able to go to away stadiums and know that you probably have more supporters than the actual home team,” Inter Miami goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair said. “Obviously that won’t be the case in every single stadium. I think it was definitely a case tonight.”

Rodrigo De Paul also scored for the defending MLS Cup champions. Tai Baribo pulled D.C. (1-2-0) within one in the 75th minute, but the home side was unable to equalize.

It was an eventful week for Messi and his team, which visited the White House on Thursday. Inter Miami opened the scoring in the 17th minute when De Paul collected the ball about 15 yards from goal and struck a shot into the far side of the net.

Messi then scored his fourth goal of the young season, slipping behind the D.C. defense to receive Mateo Silvetti‘s pass, then flicking the ball with one touch past goalkeeper Sean Johnson.

The 38-year-old will next look to become just the second men’s player in history, alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, to reach 900 career goals when Miami visits Nashville on Wednesday for its first game in the Concacaf Champions Cup.

Miami head coach Javier Mascherano said the team will be competing to win every title this season, though at some point players’ minutes will need to be managed.

“I think it would be a big mistake to choose which competitions to focus on,” he said in his news conference. “We’re a team that has to compete equally in every competition.

“For us, the Champions League in this first half of the season is a very important competition, and we’re going to give it that value. We’ll try to go as far as possible, but that doesn’t mean we’re going to throw away the league matches.

“Last year, the team was able to compete in every competition we entered, and we did so at a high level, reaching almost the final in all of them except the Club World Cup. So, this year, we’ll try to do the same and even go further in the Champions League. 

“Clearly, at some point we’ll have to start managing the players’ minutes as well. Playing every three or four days is a big drain, especially in this first part of the season where we’ve had to play away games all the time. That’s also something to keep in mind, and it does generate even more wear and tear.”

Inter Miami has won two straight since dropping its league opener 3-0 to LAFC.

D.C. United broke through in the second half. Jackson Hopkins‘ shot forced a save, and Baribo put away the rebound.

ESPN’s Lizzy Becherano and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Cristiano Ronaldo‘s hamstring injury is “more serious” than first anticipated, Al Nassr coach Jorge Jesus said Friday, with the Portugal captain traveling to Madrid to undergo treatment.

Ronald limped off the pitch in Al Nassr’s 3-1 league win over Al Fayha last weekend.

Al Nassr did not provide an exact timeline for the 41-year-old’s recovery.

Speaking ahead of Saturday’s home league game against Neom SC, Jesus said: “In the last game, Cristiano left with a muscle injury.

“After the tests he underwent, it became clear that it is a more serious injury than we were expecting. He will need rest and recovery. Cristiano will travel to Spain for treatment, as will other players who were injured.

“He will need treatment from his personal physiotherapist. We hope he will return soon to help the team.”

Ronaldo will be hoping to recover in time for Portugal’s international friendlies later this month.

Portugal take on Mexico at the renovated Azteca stadium on March 28 before facing the United States on March 31 in Atlanta in preparation for the World Cup.

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Ronaldo is third in the Saudi Pro League top scorers’ table. The Portugal captain has scored 21 times, while English forward Ivan Toney is top of the scoring charts with 23 goals from 23 games for Al Ahli.

Al Nassr are two points clear of Al Ahli at the top of the Saudi Pro League.

Ball State has fired men’s basketball coach Michael Lewis after four seasons, the school announced Saturday.

The Cardinals ended their season with an 85-69 win over Central Michigan in the regular-season finale Friday to finish on a four-game winning streak but still missed the Mid-American Conference tournament after posting a 12-19 (7-11 MAC) record.

“We are grateful to Coach Lewis for the passion and commitment he brought to our program the past four years,” athletic director Jeff Mitchell said in a statement. “We appreciate the time and effort he invested in our student-athletes.”

Lewis went 61-64 in his four seasons at the helm of the Cardinals. He won 20 games in Year 1, finishing fourth in the MAC, but was unable to replicate his early success. Ball State has finished 7-11 in conference play in each of the past three seasons, going 41-52 during that time.

Lewis was a longtime power conference assistant before being tapped to take over at Ball State in 2022. He spent time on staffs at UCLA, Nebraska and Butler, working under three different coaches during his time with the Bulldogs. He was an assistant coach at Eastern Illinois and Stephen F. Austin prior to Brad Stevens hiring him at Butler.

His coaching career began as a graduate assistant at Texas Tech under Bob Knight, whom he played for in college at Indiana. Lewis was the Hoosiers’ team captain and an all-conference performer as a senior in 1999-00.