Brais Méndez Free Kick in His MLS Debut Earns Columbus Crew a 2-2 Draw at Inter Miami as Messi Returns

Lionel Messi was back. Rodrigo De Paul was back. Luis Suárez scored from a distance that should require a passport. And somehow the man who walked out of Nu Stadium with the best story on Saturday night was a Columbus Crew newcomer playing his first MLS game.

Brais Méndez curled in an 84th-minute free kick in his MLS debut, according to the AP, and the Columbus Crew played Inter Miami to a 2-2 draw. Suárez and Noah Allen scored for Miami, a Casemiro own goal had briefly leveled things for Columbus, and the draw ended Miami's six-game winning streak, which MLSsoccer.com called a club record. Miami still stretched its unbeaten run to seven.

Suárez From the Parking Lot

The night started late. Kickoff was delayed 40 minutes by bad weather, per the AP, and when the game finally got going, Columbus had the first look, with Jamal Thiaré forcing Rocco Ríos Novo into a save in the fourth minute.

Then Suárez did something ridiculous. In the 16th minute, Yannick Bright fed him, Suárez spotted Patrick Schulte off his line, and he lofted a right-footed shot from more than 35 yards into the top of the net. MLSsoccer.com described it as coming from nearly midfield. It was his fourth straight game with a goal, and his seventh in the last four games.

Columbus answered in the 34th minute, with a little help. On a counter, Taha Habroune's cross ended up in the Miami net off Casemiro, according to the Crew, and it was 1-1. Not the highlight the Brazilian had in mind.

Miami found the lead again in the fifth minute of first-half stoppage time. De Paul played Suárez down the right side of the box, and Suárez delivered a cross that Allen headed into the bottom right corner. The goal was given after a VAR review, and it sent Miami into the break up 2-1.

Messi Enters, Méndez Answers

Messi came on for Dániel Pintér in the 53rd minute, his first action since the July 19 World Cup final, per MLSsoccer.com. He had two left-footed chances in his first four minutes on the field, both just wide.

Interim head coach Laurent Courtois made his own move in the 61st minute, sending on Méndez and Sékou Bangoura. Méndez tested Ríos Novo from long range in the 65th minute, missed from distance in the 80th, and then, in the 84th, stood over a free kick on the right side. His left-footed curler beat everyone, kissed the post and settled into the bottom left corner. Ballgame, almost.

Messi had two more chances late. Schulte saved his header in the third minute of stoppage time, and Messi sent another effort over a minute later. That was it.

The Debutant and the Old Guard

Méndez's goal puts him in some fun company. The Crew said he joins Brian McBride, Lucas Zelarayán, Cucho Hernández and Max Arfsten among Columbus players who scored in their MLS debuts. He had three shots, two on target, after coming on in the 61st minute.

"I am very happy about my debut and the goal," Méndez said, per the Crew. "The team played a good game in a tough place to play."

Courtois was impressed. "We just saw glimpses of what he's capable of doing with his left foot but also with his IQ," he said. "Just class."

Suárez, though, was the best player on the field before Méndez made it a draw. A goal and an assist lifted him to 10 goals and six assists in 2026, per MLSsoccer.com, and the AP and Miami both noted he became just the fifth player in MLS history with at least 10 goals and five assists in each of his first three MLS seasons. Allen's header was his first goal of the regular season, according to the club.

Captain Sean Zawadzki summed up the Crew's mood after three newcomers made debuts on the night, with Lautaro Giaccone and Brooks Lennon joining Méndez. "We don't skip a beat. It seems like they've been here for a while," he said.

Where the Point Came From

The 61st-minute double change is the hinge. Before it, Columbus trailed 2-1 and had not put a shot on target since the fourth minute. After it, Méndez added a long-range threat and Bangoura added bite, picking up a yellow card along the way. The free kick was the payoff for a Crew side that kept asking questions instead of settling for a respectable loss.

Stats That Matter

• Possession: Inter Miami 51.3 percent, Columbus 48.7 percent.
• Shots: Columbus 13, Inter Miami 12. On target: Miami 4, Columbus 3.
• Saves: Rocco Ríos Novo 2, Patrick Schulte 2.
• Messi off the bench: four shots, one on target.
• Corners: Inter Miami 5, Columbus 2.

Miami Keeps Climbing, Columbus Keeps Chasing

Miami sits at 11-5-2 with 38 points, which MLSsoccer.com said left the Herons two points behind MLS-leading Nashville SC. The unbeaten run is now seven games. Miami opens Leagues Cup play against Atlético de San Luis on Aug. 5, then visits Nashville on Aug. 15, per the AP.

Columbus moved to 5-5-8 with 20 points, and MLSsoccer.com said the Crew were three points behind D.C. United for the ninth and final playoff spot in the East. Coming off a 2-1 win over FC Cincinnati, this was the second straight match in which Columbus clawed back into a game, the club noted. "Now, it's stack results," Zawadzki said. The Crew open Leagues Cup against Atlas on Tuesday before a trip to Charlotte on Aug. 15.

Crashing the Reunion

Saturday was supposed to be a reunion special: Messi and De Paul back home, Suárez in form, the band getting back together in front of 22,193 fans. Méndez treated it like a season premiere instead and wrote himself into the first episode. Not bad for a guy who had been an MLS player for less than half an hour.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Postgame quotes as reported by the Columbus Crew (columbuscrew.com); match notes from MLSsoccer.com, Inter Miami CF (intermiamicf.com) and the AP recap.