Sports
Messi scores twice, Miami clinches playoff berth
Lionel Messi led the charge for Inter Miami CF, scoring twice in the second half to extend his tally to five goals in the past nine days, securing a 4-0 victory over New York City FC on Wednesday night at Citi Field and a spot in the 2025 Major League Soccer playoffs.
Miami head coach Javier Mascherano emphasized that the team had accomplished an important goal, but it was only the first step for a club with aspirations to repeat as Supporters’ Shield champions.
“We are happy and with the tranquility of having achieved the first goal, which was to qualify for the playoffs. Now we’ll try to finish as high as possible in the standings, which would allow us to have home-field advantage,” Mascherano said.
Messi had the opportunity to record a hat trick when Inter Miami earned a penalty in the 83rd minute, but the Herons captain chose to give the chance to longtime teammate Luis Suárez instead.
“He has done that too many times in his career. Sometimes he looks at some teammates who haven’t scored and need a goal more than him,” Mascherano added.
“He tried to help in this way. For me, it’s great. He tried to show to everyone the team spirit, trying to involve all the players and players that maybe in this case Luis, needed to score. So it’s great.”
Messi has managed two or more goals in eight of the past 12 Inter Miami matches, becoming the fourth player in MLS history to record multiple goals in just eight games in a single season.
The team will now focus on the game against Toronto FC on Saturday night as Inter Miami looks to secure the 2025 Supporters’ Shield.
“We are happy because now we are officially qualified for the playoffs. That was very important for us. Now we have to continue moving forward,” Mascherano said.
“We know we have two games in hand, so we will try to rest and recover before going to Toronto. We know how difficult Saturday will be because we have less than 72 hours to play, but we’ll try to play our best and win the game and to qualify as high as possible. If we can win the five remaining games that we have, it will be great and we’ll have that chance to fight for the Supporters’ Shield.”
Miami sits in third place on the Eastern Conference table with 55 points in 29 games, two matches behind leaders Philadelphia Union.
Sports
The biggest sporting event in Milan on Saturday wasn’t the Olympics
With a global sporting spectacle going on nearby, locals in Milan flooded San Siro to witness a riveting Derby d’Italia between Inter Milan and Juventus.
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Sports
Jamaica unveil snazzy kits ahead of World Cup playoffs
We’re four months away from the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but if they manage to qualify, Jamaica might have already sewn up the competition for the snazziest kits with their new home and away strips unveiled Friday.
Both ensembles have been designed in collaboration with the Bob Marley Foundation and as such are positively drenched in the vivid red, green and gold colors that have become synonymous with the legendary reggae star and Rastafarian culture.
The home shirt has a yellow-gold base overlaid with a weave pattern that makes it look like the crocheted garments and Rasta headwear Marley wore in the 1970s. There are also horizontal bands in black, red and green that span the shirt and feature a pattern intended to resemble vinyl records.
The away shirt is arguably even livelier, with the Jamaican national colors once again used to create a black alternative design that pays homage to the rocksteady rhythm of the island’s music.
The dark base is covered in line-drawn patterns inspired by soundwaves, vinyl records and even the reels of old cassette tapes. The Reggae Boyz/Girlz tag on the collar is also inspired by the font used by Marley’s record label, Tuff Gong. Added to that, the use of the classic trefoil logo in gold just caps everything off nicely.
Marley was known to love soccer and regularly played in matches against fellow musicians and even professional players, notably several members of Brazil‘s famous teams of the 70s. As such, there is a tag attached to the lower hem of both 2026 jerseys that bears a portrait of the icon alongside his well-known quote, “Football is freedom.”
All that’s left now is for Jamaica to actually qualify for their first World Cup since 1998. The Reggae Boyz finished second behind surprise package Curaçao in Concacaf Group B, meaning that two rounds of interconfederation playoffs in March still stand between them and a place at this summer’s tournament.
Sports
2026 Olympics: Top moments from USA-Denmark men’s hockey
After a commanding 5-1 win over Latvia, the United States men’s hockey team was back in action for Game 2 of the preliminary round in the 2026 Olympics.
Saturday’s game was against Denmark, which lost 3-1 to Germany in its first game. The United States won, 6-3.
The U.S. now sits atop Group C, with six points. The top team from each group gets a bye into the quarterfinal round of the tournament, which begins Wednesday.
Center Brock Nelson led the U.S. in scoring after one game, with two goals, while forwards Jack Eichel, Jack Hughes, Matthew Tkachuk and defenseman Quinn Hughes all had two assists. Forwards Auston Matthews, Tage Thompson and Brady Tkachuk were the other goal scorers in the opening contest.
More: Men’s hockey megapreview | Lapsed fan’s guide | Player rankings
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