Daily Times

Luis Suarez scored a hat-trick and Lionel Messi had an incredible five assists and a goal in the second half as a rampant Inter Miami crushed the New York Red Bulls 6-2 in Major League Soccer on Saturday.

Two-goal substitute Matias Rojas sparked the second half rout from Eastern Conference leaders Inter after New York had led 1-0 at the break. Without Messi, Miami had fallen to a 4-0 defeat to the Red Bulls in New York in March, but they more than avenged that loss with a merciless second-half demolition job.

Messi’s five assists, which all came in the second half, are a new record for an MLS game and he now has 10 goals and 12 assists in eight league appearances so far this season.

Operating behind Suarez, Messi’s passing through the slightest of gaps, taking advantage of his former Barcelona teammate’s telepathic understanding of his intentions, was simply too much for the Red Bulls, who came into the game third in the East.

“Obviously what we have seen today surprises people, because you don’t see that in football,” said Suarez of Messi’s five assists.

“But as a teammate and someone who knows him, nothing surprises me about him,” added the Uruguayan. The 37-year-old Suarez’s triples takes his own tally to 10 in 11 league games for Miami and despite no longer being blessed with pace, his deadly finishing clearly remains intact.