Messi and Miami held by New York City in MLS opener

Lionel Messi and Inter Miami stumbled at the start of the new Major League Soccer season, settling for a 2-2 draw against New York City FC at home on 24 february.

Despite Messi's two assists, Miami played most of the match with 10 men after Argentine defender Tomas Aviles was sent off.

With Javier Mascherano making his MLS debut as head coach, replacing fellow Argentine Gerardo Martino, Miami fielded several new faces but struggled for cohesion throughout the contest.

The evening began perfectly for Miami when Messi slipped a pass to Aviles, who slotted home in the fifth minute. However, the momentum quickly shifted. Forward Fafa Picault, one of Miami's off-season arrivals, was forced off with a suspected muscle injury in the 10th minute. Thirteen minutes later, Aviles brought down Alonso Martinez on the edge of the box, earning a straight red card. From the resulting free-kick, Maxi Moralez found the unmarked Mitja Ilenic, who fired into the bottom corner to equalise.

Miami's makeshift central defensive pairing of Noah Allen and Ian Fray struggled to contain New York's attack, though substitute Robert Taylor tested goalkeeper Matt Freese before half-time.

New York took the lead in the 55th minute after Jordi Alba's careless pass gifted the ball to Martinez, who raced goalwards and slotted past Oscar Ustari. With Miami lacking fluency and Luis Suarez largely ineffective before being substituted, chances remained scarce.

Freese denied Messi from a free-kick, while Alba set up Federico Redondo, who side-footed wide. But deep into stoppage time, Messi produced the decisive moment of quality, threading a perfectly weighted pass to Telasco Segovia, who lifted the ball over Freese to secure the draw.

"He's the soul of this team," Mascherano said of Messi. "You could see it with what he did at the end. It's not just his quality on the pitch but what he transmits to his team-mates. He defends, runs in midfield, and inspires everyone."

Elsewhere in MLS, Emmanuel Latte Lath scored twice on his debut for Atlanta United, leading them to a 3-2 win over Montreal. The Ivorian striker, signed from Middlesbrough for a reported league record fee of $22 million, was joined on the scoresheet by Colombian Edwin Mosquera, whose curling strike secured victory in the 85th minute.

Philadelphia Union enjoyed a strong start under new South African coach Bradley Carnell, winning 4-2 at Orlando City with Israeli forward Tai Baribo netting twice.

Cincinnati edged the New York Red Bulls 1-0 thanks to Togo international Kevin Denkey, a $16 million signing from Belgium's Cercle Brugge, while Uruguayan Diego Rossi scored twice as Columbus Crew spoiled Gregg Berhalter's debut as Chicago Fire coach with a 4-2 win.

On 25 february, champions Los Angeles Galaxy host the league's newest club, San Diego FC.