Celtic are targeting high-profile players as the summer transfer window approaches, with the board holding back major financial commitments until they know whether they have secured a place in the Cha...
Lionel Messi's great form has led Inter Miami to take the top MLS spot in the CONCACAF rankings, though they're still trailing the overall Top 3. Lionel Messi has been the driving force behind an Inter Miami side that has spent the first portion of the 2026 season rediscovering the form that carried them to the MLS Cup title last year. The progress is now showing in the standings, with the Herons reclaiming their status as the top MLS club in the CONCACAF rankings, though they still find themselves outside the overall top three. Back in March, Inter Miami suffered a significant setback with their Round of 16 exit from the CONCACAF Champions Cup at the hands of Nashville, and a string of poor results through early April sent them tumbling to seventh in the rankings. Since then, the club has undergone a reset, including the dismissal of Javier Mascherano and the appointment of Guillermo Hoyos, and the results on the pitch have followed. With CONCACAF releasing its latest club ranking update on May 18, Inter Miami have climbed from sixth to fourth overall, now sitting as the highest-ranked MLS side on the list. LAFC and the Seattle Sounders had been positioned above them, but both clubs have shed points in the most recent update following difficult stretches of form. After a strong start to the season, LAFC hit a wall in May, falling in the Champions Cup semifinals against Toluca and then collecting just one draw and three consecutive MLS defeats. The Sounders followed a similar trajectory, bowing out of the Champions Cup in the quarterfinals to Tigres UANL before managing only one win, two draws and one defeat in May league play. Germán Berterame #19 celebrates with Lionel Messi #10 of Inter Miami. Messi’s contribution to Inter Miami’s revival Hoyos took charge of his first Inter Miami match on April 18 against the Colorado Rapids, and under the Argentine coach the team has found a level of consistency that was largely absent earlier in the season. A significant factor in that turnaround, beyond the improvement from several players across the squad, has been Lionel Messi returning to his best form. Since that Colorado Rapids fixture, Messi has featured in seven games, scoring seven goals and adding five assists. In May alone across four appearances, he has posted four goals and four assists, performances that have positioned him as the leading candidate for the MLS Player of the Month award. Who sits at the top of the CONCACAF rankings? Over the stretch that includes the Colorado match, Inter Miami have posted five wins, one draw and one defeat with 20 goals scored, accumulating 1,241 points in the CONCACAF index. Despite the momentum, the gap between the Herons and the Liga MX clubs occupying the top three remains considerable. Tigres UANL and Deportivo Toluca hold the top two spots with 1,277 and 1,276 points respectively, as the two CONCACAF Champions Cup finalists. Cruz Azul, who reached the quarterfinals and are set to face Pumas UNAM in the Liga MX Clausura final, sit third with 1,258 points, leaving a 17-point gap between them and the highest-ranked MLS club.
Minnesota United coach Cameron Knowles was delighted with James Rodriguez’s impact as he looked forward to a quick turnaround in fixtures. James, the former Real Madrid and Bayern Munich star, has not been able to maintain his fitness since signing for Minnesota. But the Colombian made a telling impact from the bench against Austin FC […] The post Minnesota United v Colorado Rapids: Knowles hails ´high-quality´ James appeared first on Soccer News.
Major League Soccer announced a sanction for Luis Suarez just days before Inter Miami’s clash with Orlando City. Inter Miami star Luis Suarez was sanctioned by Major League Soccer this week, just days before the Herons face Orlando City in a key league matchup between Florida rivals. However, the decision will not prevent the Uruguayan forward from being available. “The MLS Disciplinary Committee has fined Inter Miami CF forward Luis Suarez for violating the league’s policy regarding simulation/embellishment in the 72nd minute of Miami’s match against the New England Revolution on April 25,” MLS said in a statement published on its official website. The incident took place during Inter Miami’s most recent match, a 1-1 draw against the Revs at Nu Stadium on Matchday 10 of the MLS season. Suarez was in the starting lineup and played the full 90 minutes. In the second half, with the score at 1-0 in favor of the visitors, the forward attempted to deceive referee Rubiel Vazquez in hopes of earning a penalty to level the match, but was unsuccessful. However, minutes later, German Berterame scored to secure a point for Inter Miami at home. Lionel Messi #10 of Inter Miami CF celebrates with Luis Suárez #9. Suarez was not the only player penalized. “The MLS Disciplinary Committee has fined D.C. United midfielder Matti Peltola for violating the league’s policy regarding simulation/embellishment in the 30th minute of D.C.’s match against Orlando City on April 25,” the statement added. Suarez has played a limited role this season The sanction issued to Luis Suarez is purely financial, meaning he remains eligible for Saturday’s match against Orlando City. It will be up to head coach Guillermo Hoyos to decide whether to keep the Uruguayan forward in the starting lineup or return him to the bench. So far in the 2026 season, Suarez has made seven appearances for Inter Miami. One came in the Concacaf Champions Cup against Nashville SC, while the other six were in MLS, where he has scored two goals. However, the 39-year-old striker has played a secondary role for most of the year. He has started just two of those seven matches—a 0-0 draw against Charlotte FC when Javier Mascherano was still the coach, and last Saturday’s 1-1 draw against New England Revolution. He has also remained on the bench without featuring in four matches. Other Inter Miami players sanctioned Luis Suarez joins a list of Inter Miami players who have been sanctioned by MLS in recent weeks. Facundo Mura was also fined for simulation during the Herons’ win over Real Salt Lake in a similar incident, while Yannick Bright received an additional one-match suspension following his red card against Colorado Rapids for racist remarks.
