Columbus Crew halted Inter Miami's resurgence in Major League Soccer, forcing a 2-2 draw in Sunday's match.
Veteran Uruguayan star Luis Suarez opened the scoring for Inter Miami in the 16th minute, before his Brazilian teammate Casemiro scored an own goal in the 34th minute.
Noah Allen restored Inter Miami's lead, scoring the home side's second goal in the fifth minute of first-half stoppage time, but Columbus Crew's Bryce Mendez snatched an equalizer in the 84th minute.
The match marked the debut of Argentine Lionel Messi with Inter Miami, after his participation with his national team in the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada, in which the "Tango Dancers" team finished second, after losing 0-1 to the Spanish national team, after resorting to extra time, in the World Cup final match on July 19.
Messi sat on the bench at the start of the match, before being brought on in the 53rd minute, when Inter Miami were leading, but he was unable to help his team maintain their lead.
With that result, Inter Miami, whose winning streak in the competition ended at 6 wins, remained in second place with 48 points, two points behind Nashville, which sits atop the league.
In contrast, Columbus Crew's tally rose to 20 points, placing them in 11th position.
