By Franklin – SoFlo Sports Buzz
June 20, 2025
STOP EVERYTHING. GET OFF YOUR COUCH. POUR SOMETHING STRONG. SHOUT AT THE SKY.
Because Inter Miami CF just beat FC Porto 2–1 in the FIFA Club World Cup and I don’t care if it’s 3 a.m., I’m waking up every neighbor I’ve ever had AND their abuelitas. WE JUST MADE HISTORY, SOUTH FLORIDA.
This wasn’t just a win. It was a cataclysmic, earth-shaking, UEFA-crushing South Beach slap heard round the globe. The first time—THE FIRST TIME—a CONCACAF team beat a European club in official competition. Write that down. Tattoo it on your pinky toe. Teach it in schools. I’m not exaggerating. This is our moon landing. And Messi was our Buzz Aldrin, but, you know, better looking.
First Half: I Aged 17 Years in 45 Minutes
The game started and within, like, the second time I blinked, Porto got a penalty. VAR review. Noah Allen with a love tap in the box. Boom. Porto up 1–0.
I yelled things I’m not legally allowed to print. My cat left the room. I paced like a father-to-be in a sitcom. The whole first half was us on our heels. We couldn’t connect three passes. Busquets looked like he was doing tai chi. I texted my cousin “we’re cooked.”
BUT THEN—
SECOND HALF — YOU COULD HEAR THE SWITCH FLIP
I don’t know what Mascherano said in that locker room, but I bet it involved fire, a chalkboard, and possibly a steel chair.
Because right out the gate, like 90 seconds in, Telasco Segovia pulled a rocket out of his pocket and BLASTED it in off a Weigandt cross. 1–1. Crowd exploded. I knocked over my cafecito.
At that point, I stood up and never sat back down. I swear, my living room turned into the North Stand of La Bombonera.
MESSI: BENDING PHYSICS & EUROPEAN EGO
Now… now we get to the moment I’ll tell my grandkids about one day:
54th minute. Free kick. Messi steps up. The wall’s ready. The keeper is bracing.
I whisper: “Do it, you beautiful alien.”
AND HE DID.
That ball curved like it had a GPS set to “Top Bins, Glory Mode.” Claudio Ramos didn’t even flinch. He just watched it go by like a romantic tragedy.
2–1 Inter Miami. Lionel Andrés Messi.
Somewhere in Portugal, a grandma clutched her rosary and sighed. Because the goat doesn’t just score—he brands your soul with a memory.
THE LAST 30 MINUTES: SWEAT, GRIT, AND WARRIORS
The last third of the match was trench warfare. Porto came swinging. They had shots. Crosses. Corners. My blood pressure matched my cholesterol (high). But Miami didn’t break.
Ustari barked orders like a fed-up abuela. Falcón and Avilés were bodying dudes like they were security at LIV on a Saturday night. Jordi Alba came in and iced Porto’s left wing like it owed him money.
And when the whistle blew, I think my neighbor thought I was giving birth to twins. I jumped into my pool with all my clothes on. Worth it.
This Wasn’t Luck. This Was Legacy.
Let’s take a second to process what we witnessed:
- Miami beat a UEFA team. In a FIFA tournament.
- We’re now 1 win, 1 draw in Group A, tied with Palmeiras on points.
- Messi scored his 50th Inter Miami goal. FIFTY. IN SIXTY‑ONE GAMES.
- This wasn’t a fluke. This was a TEAM. A CLUB. A CITY saying: we belong here.
People laughed at us when we signed Messi, Suárez, Busquets, Alba. “MLS retirement league,” they said. “Sunday League on grass,” they chuckled.
WHO’S LAUGHING NOW, THIAGO FROM LISBON?
WHAT IN THE WORLD WAS I TALKING ABOUT AGAIN?
Oh yeah. The second half. The Messi goal. No, wait. Segovia! And Mascherano! Or maybe the entire geopolitical shift this game caused?! You see how I get! Stay with me!
PARTY IN PINKLAND
Let’s be clear: this win changes everything.
- Miami is the team of the moment—globally.
- Every team left in the tournament just rewrote their scouting notes.
- Every kid in Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach just practiced free kicks in their backyard.
This is cultural. This is foundational. This is SoFlo Soccer on fire.
PALMEIRAS NEXT… BUCKLE UP
We play Palmeiras on June 23 at Hard Rock Stadium. We draw? We go through. We win? We go supernova.
But for now, for tonight, let’s bask. Let’s remember. Let’s chant into the Miami humidity:
“DALE MIAMI! DALE MESSI! DALE HISTORY!!”