Inter Miami CF’s full potential was on display Saturday at Chase Stadium, thanks to a dominant 5-0 win over Florida Derby rivals Orlando City SC behind the magic of Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.

Both FC Barcelona legends were at their vintage best, helping IMCF improve to 2W-0L-1D (seven points) through Matchday 3 while taking sole possession of the Eastern Conference.

Suarez opened his MLS account with a stunning brace, adding a pair of assists as well for good measure. Meanwhile, Messi bagged a brace of his own as the Herons put together their best showing in the 2024 season’s early days.

The opener came from Suarez in the 4th minute, a classy first-time finish off a low cross from Julian Gressel. It was pure Suarez, one of the greatest strikers of his generation whose offseason arrival from Brazilian side Gremio wasn’t without scrutiny due to the Uruguayan’s reported knee problems.

Inter Miami took an early 1-0 lead over Orlando City in just the fourth minute after a careless giveaway by Orlando City in their own defensive third. Messi found Inter Miami central midfielder Julian Gressel on the right flank, and Gressel’s sharp pass was finished first-time by Suarez.

The result ties Messi atop the MLS scoring charts alongside Christian Benteke with three, while Suarez ended the game atop the league in assists (Inter Miami has played three games while most of the league has played one).