Griezmann doesn't know how it feels to be Uruguayan: Suarez

Defending champion Inter Miami, playing without injured star Lionel Messi, blanked Mexico's Puebla 2-0 at home on Saturday to begin defending their Leagues Cup crown.

Paraguay's Matias Rojas opened the scoring in the ninth minute and Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez added an insurance goal in the 72nd minute to deliver Inter Miami's triumph.

Miami was without Argentine striker Messi, who is still recovering from a left ankle injury suffered two weeks ago in Argentina's victory over Colombia in the Copa America final.

Messi, who sparked Miami to the Leagues Cup title just after his arrival last year, missed two Inter Miami MLS regular-season matches and the MLS All-Star Game three nights ago.

The Leagues Cup sends MLS clubs and Mexico's Liga MX teams into a World Cup-style tournament with three-team groups where two clubs advance to knockout rounds.

Miami faces Mexican side Tigres next Saturday in its other group-stage match.

In Saturday's other group openers, Mexico's Atlas blanked Houston 1-0, New England beat Mazatlan 1-0, Philadelphia edged Charlotte 1-0 and Toronto beat the New York Bulls 5-4 on penalties after playing to a goal-less draw.

US midfielder Jack Panayotou scored in the 69th minute to boost New England to victory while Israeli striker Tai Baribo scored in the 33rd minute to give Philadelphia a triumph and Mexican defender Jose Lozano netted the winning goal for Atlas in the 83rd minute.

Luis Suarez struck twice as ten-man Inter Miami became the first team to book their place in this season's Major League Soccer playoffs after beating Cincinnati 2-0 at Chase Stadium on Saturday.

Uruguayan veteran Suarez scored just 32 seconds into the game and added a second five minutes later as Miami, without injured superstar Lionel Messi, secured their place in the post-season.

Miami are eight points clear of second-placed Cincinnati in the Eastern Conference.

Messi has not played since he suffered an ankle injury in Argentina's win over Colombia in the final of Copa America on July 14.

But Miami expect Messi will be back before the end of the regular season which concludes on October 19 with the playoffs beginning the following week.

Cincinnati humiliated Miami with a 6-1 victory over Gerardo Martino's team in Ohio on July 6th and the way the game started indicated Inter were determined to avenge that loss.

Yannick Bright fed Marcelo Weigandt down the right and the Argentine found Suarez who brought the ball down before burying it in the net.

With former NFL great Tom Brady watching on in the company of Miami co-owner David Beckham, former Barcelona striker Suarez then doubled the advantage with another clinical finish after a smart one-two with Matias Rojas.

Miami looked in firm control of the game until three minutes before the break, when their Argentine defender Tomas Aviles was sent off for a second yellow card after a reckless, lunging challenge on Kevin Kelsy.

At the break Cincinnati brought on Luciano Acosta, the league's reigning Most Valuable Player, who is returning from an injury absence.

And while the Argentine added a creative edge in the second half, he wasn't able to stop Cincinnati from suffering a fourth straight loss in the league.

Miami kept their shape and discipline as they protected their lead with Italian midfielder Yannick Bright delivering another impressive performance.

Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi were on target as Inter Miami marched into the last eight of the CONCACAF Champions Cup with a 3-1 (5-3 aggregate) win over Nashville on Wednesday.

Messi set up Suarez for the eighth-minute opener and then the Argentine found the target himself in the 23rd minute.

But the eight-times Ballon d'Or winner was substituted in the 50th minute before his replacement Robert Taylor made sure of the victory with a 63rd-minute header.

Miami, playing in the competition for the first time, will face the winner of Thursday's second-leg between Mexico's Monterrey and MLS's FC Cincinnati in the quarter-finals.

The Liga MX team are at home and lead 1-0 from the first-leg.

The first-leg in Tennessee had seen Nashville take a two-goal lead before goals from Messi and Suarez inspired a comeback for a 2-2 draw.

And it was the former Barcelona pair that proved to be the difference again as Miami took control from the outset.

Messi had an early opportunity when he was brought down on the edge of the box, providing him with a free-kick from a central position but his shot struck the wall.

But minutes later, Messi created the opener, splitting the Nashville defence with a perfect pass to Suarez whose exquisite finish, with the outside of his right foot, matched the precision of the assist.

While the veteran quartet of Barcelona players in the Miami team, also including Spaniards Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets, grab the attention, the young midfield workhouse Diego Gomez has become increasingly influential.

It was the Paraguayan's aggressive running that created the second goal, in the 23rd minute, when Gomez drove aggressively into the box and then smartly slipped inside to Messi who buried the ball, first time, into the corner.

Nashville had created little but they offered a wake-up call to Miami keeper Drake Callender when Daniel Lovitz blasted a left-foot volley against the post.

Miami coach Gerardo Martino brought Messi off for Taylor five minutes after the interval, with no visible sign of an injury for the Argentine.

The departure of the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner gave Nashville a lift and they began to attack with real intent and Callender had to pull off a fine save at point blank range to deny Lukas MacNaughton.

But any hint of a Nashville comeback was snuffed out when Suarez turned provider with a delightful chip into the box towards Taylor who angled home his header to make it 3-0

Nashville's Hany Mukhtar had an effort disallowed for offside before English striker Sam Surridge added a late consolation.

Earlier Costa Rica's Herediano secured passage to the last eight with a 1-1 draw at Surinam's Robinhood enough to give them a 3-1 aggregate win.

Wednesday's later game is an all-Mexican clash with Club America defending a 3-0 first leg advantage at home to Chivas Guadalajara.v

Uruguay icon Luis Suarez announced his retirement from international football on Monday, confirming that he will hang up his boots following Friday's 2026 World Cup qualifier against Paraguay in Montevideo.

"Friday will be my last match for my country," an emotional Suarez, 37, told a press conference.

"It was not an easy decision to make, but I do it with the peace of mind that I will give my maximum until the very last game of my (Uruguay) career."

The former Barcelona and Liverpool striker is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of his generation and will retire from international football as Uruguay's top scorer with 69 goals from 142 appearances.

Suarez, who was infamously kicked out of the 2014 World Cup after being handed a four-month ban for biting Italy's Giorgio Chiellini, made his debut for Uruguay in 2007.

The Inter Miami forward helped Uruguay capture the 2011 Copa America, where he was named player of the tournament, and would eventually represent the South American country in nine major tournaments.

Suarez said Monday that inspiring Uruguay to that Copa crown had been the highpoint of his career.

"I wouldn't trade the Copa America title for anything," he said. "It was the best moment of my career. I wouldn't trade it for anything."

A dynamic, skilful attacker with a lethal eye for goal, Suarez was also never far from controversy.

As well as the biting incident that ended his involvemment in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, he was also one of the villains of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, when his cynical handball on the goal-line denied Ghana what would have been a late winner in the quarter-finals.

Suarez was sent off for that offence and Ghana subsequently missed the ensuing penalty, allowing Uruguay to sneak into the semi-finals after a penalty shoot-out.

Controversy also dogged Suarez throughout his club career, notably in 2011 when he was handed an eight-game ban by authorities in England for allegedly racially abusing Manchester United's France star Patrice Evra.

Suarez would later help Uruguay qualify for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, and also featured in this summer's Copa America where he was used largely as a substitute by coach Marcelo Bielsa. He scored his 69th international goal in a third place play-off victory over Canada.

Atletico Madrid are hoping Antoine Griezmann's injury is nothing more than a sprained ankle after the forward was substituted in their 1-0 defeat by Inter Milan in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie, manager Diego Simeone said.

Atletico's all-time leading goalscorer, who has scored five goals in six Champions League games this season, was replaced by Angel Correa in the 78th minute.

"He (Griezmann) sprained his ankle and we hope it will be just a sprained ankle," Simeone told reporters.

Atletico's injuries are piling up ahead of next week's Copa del Rey semi-final second leg against Athletic Bilbao.

Defender Jose Maria Gimenez was also injured a minute after halftime on Tuesday, while midfielder Thomas Lemar and winger Marcos Paulo are also sidelined.

Simeone also said he was optimistic about his team's chances of advancing to the Champions League quarter-finals when they host the Serie A leaders in the second leg on March 13.

"Going beyond the defeat, we've proven that we're able to compete. We know what we'll face," Simeone added.

"After playing against them now we know how they play. Now we hope that when the time comes we'll be in top shape and we'll compete the way this tournament demands."