Lionel Messi and Inter Miami were held to a draw for the second-straight MLS weekend, with the Herons taking a point on the road in a scoreless draw with Gregg Berhalter's Chicago Fire Sunday night.
On Matchday 7, the South Beach club drew Toronto FC 1-1. Coupled with Sunday's draw, they've taken just two of a possible six in their last two matches - and as a result, fell out of first place in the Eastern Conference, trailing Supporters' Shield leaders Vancouver Whitecaps by four.
Messi continues to be a draw for MLS clubs, as Chicago set a home attendance record of more than 62,000 fans for the match at Soldier Field.
There were chances for both clubs to find a winner on the day, but stellar goalkeeping from Miami's Oscar Ustari and Chicago's Chris Brady ultimately kept the match at a stalemate through. For Miami, their best opportunities both came from set pieces, but Lionel Messi hit the woodwork not once, but twice from direct free-kick situations.
However, from the open of play, Miami struggled to get anything going. Luis Suarez thought he'd found a winner late, but the former Uruguay international was offside by a wide margin after finding the back of the net in the closing minutes.
Chicago, meanwhile, tested Miami's defense multiple times with the trio of Hugo Cuypers, Jonathan Bamba and Philip Zinckernagel all proving to be effective in creating opportunities. Ustari's heroics in net, which included seven saves, kept Miami in the match.
Miami, despite the draw, are still unbeaten to begin the MLS campaign - though Sunday was their first shutout this season. However, with consecutive draws, their early-season lead on the rest of the league has dwindled.
GOAL rates Inter Miami's players from Soldier Field.
