Inter Miami CF stars Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez are still three wins away from lifting the club’s first MLS Cup, but they had another historic trophy on the line this weekend before their Eastern Conference semifinal match against FC Cincinnati.
Earlier this year, Messi and Suárez founded a soccer club together in Uruguay called Deportivo LSM. The team played its inaugural season in the fourth division of Uruguayan soccer, culminating in the final match of the 2025 season against Liffa on Saturday.
After going behind 1-0, Deportivo LSM scored twice in the second half to secure a dramatic 2-1 victory. The win secured the Divisional D season title, the first trophy in club history and promotion into the third division next season.
Messi and Suárez both reacted to the news on social media. Messi shared a graphic posted by Divisional D on his Instagram story — putting Deportivo LSM’s achievement on display to his 509 million followers.
“I am so proud and grateful to join Luis in this incredible project,” Messi said when the club launched in May 2025. “He and his family have built something truly meaningful, and it’s an honor to be part of this next chapter.”
Suárez is involved more heavily with the club, which began as a youth development project called “Deportivo LS” in 2021.
The Uruguayan striker commented “congratulations to everyone” on the one of the team’s posts and shared more content from the historic day on his own Instagram story.
One day after celebrating their first championship as club owners, Messi and Suárez are both expected to play big roles in Inter Miami’s quest for the MLS Cup.
Suárez will be back for the Eastern Conference semifinal after missing the last playoff match due to a red card suspension. Although IMCF pulled out a 4-0 win without him to advance past Nashville SC in the first round of the playoffs, head coach Javier Mascherano is not letting that affect his decision on playing Suárez for the match against FC Cincinnati.
Messi, the reigning league MVP, is the favorite to claim the award again after posting a remarkable 29 goals and 19 assists in 28 regular season appearances. Including the three games in their first round playoff series, the Argentinian superstar has recorded 17 goal contributions (10 goals, seven assists) in his last six matches for the Herons.
Inter Miami’s match against Cincinnati kicks off at 5 p.m. ET on Sunday and will be streamed live on Apple TV. Thanks to Deportivo LSM, no matter how far Miami’s MLS playoff run goes, Messi and Suárez will end 2025 with a trophy.
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