Each party kept its end of the bargain. Everyone contributed in some way to making this the most eagerly awaited game in Major League Soccer in 16 years.

Times Square reserved one of its enormous screens to broadcast the event live, while street vendors loaded up on hats, jerseys, and fridge magnets. Fans paid exorbitant prices for their seats at the performance. To make nights like this possible, MLS, Apple, and Adidas have collaborated. The red carpet was rolled out by New York Red Bulls as well. The team welcomed Inter Miami early and turned up the volume with fireworks and a Run DMC performance for their arrival.

The sole issue? Tata Martino wasn’t feeling festive. Although the Miami manager’s English is at best shaky, the cheers that erupted around Red Bull Arena didn’t require any translation. A record crowd chanted, “We want Messi,” from the sixth minute until just before the hour mark, when the 36-year-old made his Major League Soccer debut after coming off the bench as a replacement.They had to wait a bit longer after that because Messi’s first ball was intercepted, his free kick hit the wall, and the majority of his 30-minute cameo was played slowly.Up until the 89th minute, it appeared that this would be the night when normalcy would return, but all of the magic and all of his late heroics had to come to a stop eventually.But no. Miami’s holy triumvirate keep adding stardust to American soccer while the show goes on. Here, they worked together to secure a victory that lifts Martino’s team off the Eastern Conference’s bottom.Jordi Alba received a pass from Sergio Busquets, who had also just come off the bench. The left back somehow sprang into the air and flipped the ball to Messi’s feet. The remainder was handled by him. Messi outran one defender, attracted two more, and then selected a pass that was only visible to him. Benjamin Cremaschi, a fellow replacement, pounced on it before returning the favor, enabling Messi to score his ninth goal in 11 games and add some genius to a 2-0 triumph. All of a sudden, everyone could return home joyful. A night that was about to end abruptly was replaced by a glimmer and that well-known chant.Messi needed a rest following a hectic first month in Miami, as Martino had suggested. The 36-year-old had participated in eight games over the course of 36 days, scoring 10 goals, winning one trophy, and playing more than 700 minutes total. Martino was aware of his obligations. He simply didn’t enjoy romance or entertainment. At least not enough to risk Messi right away. Not at a time when the 36-year-old was getting close to his physical “limit.” Even if some tickets were being sold for more than $20,000, it doesn’t matter. Regardless of the fact that MLS has been anticipating a night this significant since David Beckham’s Messi didn’t even pregame warm up out there. Instead, he shuffled out of the tunnel to take his position on the bench as soon as eyes turned elsewhere. Only Alba started this victory that might signal the beginning of a late push for the playoffs among Martino’s new generals.Pity David Campana. The announcement that his night was over was met by an audible din. He made room for Messi, and shortly after, Busquets entered the game.Like this arena, the 36-year-old came alive as usual when the ball was at his feet. His every touch caused this crowd to swell even more. Even the home crowd was present to celebrate the start of a new era for Major League Soccer.Inter Miami hadn’t played a league match in six weeks. Just hours after Messi’s transfer became official, Martino’s club left for St. Louis City that evening.Miami suffered a 3-0 loss. The team had gone 11 MLS games without a win prior to Martino’s debut game in command. Since then, everything has altered while remaining essentially unchanged.Therefore, it makes sense that the stadium announcer in this region of New Jersey held off on announcing the bad news until just before kickoff: the wait to witness the World Cup winner in MLS would indeed continue.That didn’t stop the fans from cheering for Messi the entire time. When he and the other Martino substitutes started warming up just after halftime, it didn’t stop fans from standing up and increasing the uproar.Diego Gomez’s first-half goal had given Miami the lead by that point. But as soon as Messi walked down the sideline and waved ineffectually to the crowd, this game was nothing more than a spectacle.After turning on, he hardly shifted out of first gear. However, that didn’t deter him from stealing the