‘We want Messi!’

More than what was happening out there on the field at the Red Bull Arena on Sunday, fans were concerned about just one thing -- at least till the 60th minute of the game between Inter Miami and hosts New York Red Bulls.

Chants of "We want Messi!" swept across the ground in the fifth, seventh, and 10th minutes with rising intensity, then several more times in the first half. Even after Diego Gómez's well-taken goal in the 36th minute, which might have tempted Inter Miami coach Tata Martino to sit on the lead and give his star the rest his 36-year-old body most likely needs, the calls for the World Cup hero persisted.

Messi, who started for Inter Miami in eight games at a stretch and scored 10 times to guide the MLS side to the final of the US Open Cup and also clinch the Leagues Cup, was deservedly given some rest.

Coach Martino defended his decision to start his 36-year-old compatriot on the bench despite the hopes of the crowd.

"I understand the desire of the people who want him to play, this will happen everywhere we go," he said.

"But as the coach, I cannot be guided by those fans' desires. My job is to make sure Leo takes care of himself," he said.

Despite Messi being in the US for over a couple of months, even his Inter Miami teammates anticipated the fan craze that comes with the Argentine.

"When we found out that he wouldn't be starting, I expected there was going to be a couple angry fans," Miami right-back DeAndre Yedlin said after Saturday's game against the New York Red Bulls. "But if I was a kid or a fan and I came, I would want to see the greatest to ever play the game, as well, so I can't blame them."

When Messi rose from his seat on the Miami bench two minutes into the second half, the crowd went into a frenzy as he made his way to the corner to begin warming up. The roars only intensified when he entered the match in the 60th minute along with his longtime Barcelona teammate Sergio Busquets.

Messi had limited involvement but made his mark on his regular season debut with an 89th-minute goal.

Jordi Alba acrobatically hooked the ball into the box to Messi who twisted and turned then slipped a sublime pass with the outside of his foot to Benjamin Cremaschi whose low first-time cross was tapped in by the seven-times Ballon d'Or winner.

Messi has now scored 11 goals in nine appearances in all competitions since joining Inter Miami.