Lionel Messi and Inter Miami will play a decisive Game 3 in the first round of the MLS Cup playoffs against Nashville SC.

Messi scored a goal in the 90th minute to make the final minutes interesting, but Inter Miami fell 2-1 to Nashville in Game 2 at GEODIS Park on Saturday, Nov. 1.

Sam Surridge scored a penalty in the opening minutes and Josh Bauer added another just before halftime to extend the series.

Game 3, and a chance to advance to the conference semifinals, will be Nov. 8 at Inter Miami’s Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

“We have to swallow the anger, build it up throughout the whole week so we can unleash it next Saturday,” Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano said after the loss.

While Messi was able to score twice in Game 1 on Oct. 24, and had a hat trick against Nashville in the regular-season finale on Oct. 18, he was unable to make his presence felt until he fired a left boot into the upper right corner of the net before six minutes of stoppage time were added to the match.

He missed a shot in the 86th minute, kicking into the hands of Nashville goalkeeper Joe Willis. His free kick in the 85th minute collided into a wall of defenders as he led Inter Miami’s push to come back in the final minutes.

Luis Suarez missed an opportunity to score in the 66th minute, while Inter Miami was unable to convert its best chance to score in the match in the first half.

Tadeo Allende could not finish directly in front of the net after a stellar setup from Jordi Alba and Messi in the 33rd minute. Allende may have been pulled by Nashville’s Bauer, but there was no penalty called.

“We weren’t clinical enough in front of goal, but that can happen,” Mascherano said. “Normally, we’re a team that converts our chances fairly effectively. Today, it wasn’t the case.”

Surridge, who is a 2025 MLS MVP finalist like Messi, scored a penalty kick in the 9th minute to give Nashville a 1-0 lead. He was tripped inside the penalty area by Inter Miami goalkeeper Rocco Ríos Novo, leading to the opportunity.

Bauer scored after a corner kick, tripping and falling to his side before finding the back of the net in the 45th minute to help Nashville break a streak of 10 consecutive matches without a victory against Inter Miami.

“We’ve left everything out on the field,” Nashville coach B.J. Callaghan told Apple TV after the game. “I’m glad the guys rose to the occasion.”

Inter Miami finds itself in the same situation they faced last season, needing Game 3 to secure their first playoff series win in franchise history.

Inter Miami was eliminated in the first round of the MLS Cup playoffs last season by Atlanta United, winning Game 1 before dropping the last two matches in the series.

USA TODAY Sports provided live updates and highlights from the Nashville-Inter Miami match:

Inter Miami vs. Nashville highlights

Nashville 2, Inter Miami 1: Messi scores goal (90′)

Messi scored a goal in the 90th minute, but it may be too late for Inter Miami.

Messi fired a left boot into the upper right corner of the net. There’s only six minutes of extra time added.

Nashville 2, Inter Miami 0: Messi misses free kick, shot in front of net (86′)

Messi missed a shot in the 86th minute, kicking it right to Nashville goalie Joe Willis. His free kick a minute earlier also collided into a wall of defenders.

Nashville 2, Inter Miami 0: Surridge misses shot (73′)

Nashville’s San Surridge missed a shot in the 73rd minute, shortly after it appeared Hany Mukhtar was fouled by Inter Miami’s Maxi Falcon.

Nashville 2, Inter Miami 0: Inter Miami avoids penalty (68′)

Inter Miami’s Tadeo Segovia collided into Nashville’s Sam Surridge, but there was no penalty called after VAR.

Nashville 2, Inter Miami 0: Luis Suarez misses in front of net (66′)

Inter Miami’s Luis Suarez had his shot saved by Nashville goalkeeper Joe Willis in the 66th minute. It’s the first save of the game for Willis, which shows how few opportunities Messi and Inter Miami have had in this match.

Nashville 2, Inter Miami 0: Sam Surridge misses shot (51′)

Surridge’s strike in the 51st minute slowly soared into the stands, in Nashville’s first shot of the second half.  

Nashville 2, Inter Miami 0: Second half is underway

Nashville 2, Inter Miami 0: Josh Bauer scores goal (45′)

Nashville’s Josh Bauer scored a goal just before halftime after a corner kick to double the lead against Inter Miami. Bauer tripped during the sequence, but still was able to score while laying on his side.

Nashville 1, Inter Miami 0: Hany Mukhtar misses shot (39′)

Nashville’s Hany Mukhtar fired a strike toward the net, but it was saved by Inter Miami goalkeeper Rocco Ríos Novo in the 39th minute.

Nashville 1, Inter Miami 0: Tadeo Allende misses shot in front of net (33′)

Inter Miami’s Tadeo Allende missed a shot right in front of the net after a stellar setup from Jordi Alba and Messi in the 33rd minute. Allende may have been pulled by Nashville’s Josh Bauer, but there was no penalty called.

Nashville 1, Inter Miami 0: Messi’s shot blocked (27′)

Messi’s left boot from outside the box was blocked by Nashville’s Patrick Yazbek in the 27th minute.

Nashville 1, Inter Miami 0: Luis Suarez off the post (19′)

Inter Miami’s Luis Suarez had his shot hit the left post in the 19th minute.

Nashville 1, Inter Miami 0: Alex Muyl misses shot (17′)

Nashville’s Alex Muyl had his shot deflected off Inter Miami defender Maxi Falcon, and barely floated over the crossbar in the 17th minute.

Nashville 1, Inter Miami 0: Messi misses shot toward goal (14′)

Messi missed a shot in the 14th minute after a sequence where he found Luis Suarez in the box.

Nashville 1, Inter Miami 0: Sam Surridge scores penalty (9′)

Nashville’s Sam Surridge scored a penalty in the 9th minute to help his side take an early 1-0 lead against Inter Miami.

The play resulted from a penalty where Surridge was tripped inside the penalty area by Inter Miami goalkeeper Rocco Ríos Novo while making a charge toward the ball in the 7th minute.

Inter Miami 0, Nashville 0: Early yellow card for Nashville (4′)

Nashville’s Edvard Tagseth picks up a yellow card for a late kick of the ball toward Inter Miami’s Ian Fray, who was tripped up.

Inter Miami 0, Nashville 0: Match has begun (0′)

It’s going to be a rainy contest in Nashville, with the game about to begin.

Messi warms up with Luis Suarez before the game

Nashville’s Sam Surridge warms up

Sam Surridge, who finished second in the Golden Boot race behind Messi, warms up before tonight’s match.

Messi, Inter Miami arrive to Nashville for match

What time is the Nashville vs Inter Miami match?

The match begins at 7:30 p.m. ET (6:30 p.m. in Nashville, 8:30 p.m. in Argentina) at GEODIS Park in Nashville.

How to watch Nashville vs Inter Miami on TV, live stream link?

The match will be available to watch on MLS Season Pass via Apple TV.

Is Messi playing today? Inter Miami vs. Nashville starting lineups

Yes, Messi was announced as a starter in Inter Miami’s starting lineup, an hour before the match.

What to know about Inter Miami vs Nashville

It’ll be their third time facing each other in as many weeks: Messi had a hat trick with an assist in a 5-2 win on the final day of the regular season in Nashville on Oct. 18, then scored two goals with an assist in a 3-1 win in Game 1 at Inter Miami’s Chase Stadium on Oct. 24.

Overall, Inter Miami has not dropped any of its last 10 matches against Nashville.

‘We know despite having had two positive results against them in the last two weekends, we have to understand that Nashville has put us in many difficult moments,’ Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano said of Nashville before practice on Friday, Oct 31. ‘We’ve dealt with it well, but they’ll surely put us in a difficult moment again. We have to be prepared for that.’

Nashville hopes to bounce back

Nashville, which won the 2025 U.S. Open Cup, is led by MVP finalist Sam Surridge, and 2022 MLS MVP Hany Mukhtar. They’ve won 14 of 20 matches across all competitions at their home stadium, and hope to extend the series against Inter Miami.

‘They’re a really good team,’ Nashville coach B.J. Callaghan said of Inter Miami on Friday, Oct 31. ‘They’ve challenged us in different ways, and I think we’ve been able to spend this week learning some things from the last game, improving some areas, and focusing on what we do well.’

Mukhtar scored in Game 1 of the series, while Surridge and Jacob Shaffelburg scored in the regular-season finale against Inter Miami.

Messi, Inter Miami stars to appear on Tik Tok Player Spotlight

Inter Miami’s Messi, Luis Suarez, Rodrigo De Paul, Serigo Busquets and Jordi Alba will be featured on TikTok live dedicated live stream during Game 2 in Nashville.

Messi joins Luis Suarez on Watch Party live stream before Nashville game

Messi and Rodrigo De Paul joined Luis Suarez on a live stream of a Uruguayan soccer match between Deportivo LSM against Montevideo Boca Juniors before Game 2 in Nashville. Suarez and Messi started the Deportivo LSM club earlier this year.

Inter Miami, MLS Cup playoff schedule

• Nov. 8: Game 3 at Inter Miami, Time TBD (if necessary)
• Nov. 10-18: FIFA international window
• Nov. 22-23: Conference semifinals
• Nov. 29-30: Conference finals
• Dec. 6: MLS Cup Final

Auburn football fans didn’t hold back their frustration after watching the latest setback of the Hugh Freeze era.

The loss for the Tigers is their fifth loss in their last six games and comes against a Kentucky squad that entered the night alongside them at the bottom of the SEC standings with a 1-5 record in conference play.

Freeze made a change at quarterback going into the Nov. 1 game by giving the start to Stanford transfer Ashton Daniels over Jackson Arnold. Daniels completed 13 of 28 passes for 108 yards and an interception in the first half while Auburn had just 117 total yards of offense.

Auburn didn’t improve much on offense in the second half, as Kentucky’s defense held the Tigers to zero points and just 124 total yards of offense — seven more yards than it had in the first half alone — in the final 30 minutes.

The loss for the Tigers drops them to 1-5 in SEC play this season and 6-16 in SEC play all-time under Freeze.

The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.

AI-assisted summary
• Colorado coach Deion Sanders benched starting quarterback Kaidon Salter during a game against Arizona.
• Salter was benched after completing 11 of 15 passes for 49 yards, fumbling, and throwing an interception in the first half.
• Backup quarterback Ryan Staub also threw an interception shortly after entering the game.

The Colorado football team hasn’t been nearly as good since starting quarterback Shedeur Sanders moved on to the NFL in April.

Sanders, now with the Cleveland Browns, got to see just how badly his former team has fallen without him Saturday night in Boulder. He watched from the sideline as his father, Colorado coach Deion Sanders, benched Shedeur’s replacement again in a 52-17 loss at home against Arizona.

Deion Sanders benched Kaidon Salter, Colorado’s regular starter at quarterback, near the end of the first half, when the Buffs trailed 38-7. Salter had completed 11-of-15 passes for 49 yards and one touchdown before halftime. But he also fumbled the ball and threw an interception, leading Sanders to put backup quarterback Ryan Staub in the game with 21 second left in the half.

By the time the game was over in Boulder, Colorado had used four quarterbacks and lost freshman quarterback Julian ‘JuJu’ Lewis to a hand injury with 1:03 left in the game. It’s not known how serious the injury is as the Buffs next play at West Virginia on Nov. 8. The loss dropped Colorado to 3-6 in Deion Sanders’ third season in Boulder.

After the game, Deion Sanders blamed himself.

‘We’re not getting it done,’ Deion Sanders said. ‘And that’s from lack of preparation, I suppose. That’s on me.’

Why was Shedeur Sanders at the Colorado game?

Shedeur Sanders surprised his father by visiting him in Boulder Saturday during an off week for the Browns. He renewed his former pregame ritual with his father by walking with him on the field before kickoff.

‘These shenanigans put a damper on it,’ Deion Sanders said. ‘I haven’t seen my son in a long time. Forget the game. Forget this. Forget that. I haven’t seen my son in a long time, so that was quite emotional for me, him surprising me today in the office.’

His presence at the homecoming game also served as a reminder of one of Colorado’s biggest problems this season: lackluster play at quarterback.

Deion Sanders finally puts in freshman QB Julian Lewis

Salter has been disappointing for Colorado except for a couple of games after transferring from Liberty in December.

Deion Sanders previously benched Salter in favor of Staub for a game at Houston in September. Colorado lost that game, 36-20. But since beating Iowa State on Oct. 11, the Buffs have hit new lows with Salter behind center. They’ve been outscored 81-7 in the first half of their past two games, including Saturday night at Folsom Field.

But things didn’t immediately get better with Staub behind center, either. In fact, they got worse. Staub threw an interception on the second play of the second half, his first pass of the game. Then after Staub threw another interception on his next pass, Sanders benched Staub in favor of freshman Lewis, who entered the game in the third quarter with Colorado losing, 45-7. Lewis responded by throwing a 59-yard touchdown pass to receiver Omarion Miller, helping cut Arizona’s lead to 45-14 with 10:13 left in the third quarter.

Will Colorado quarterback Julian Lewis redshirt this season?

Asked what led him to put Lewis into the game, Sanders said, ‘Common sense.’

It’s still possible Lewis could redshirt this season. He’s played in two games this season. He can play in up to four games and still redshirt, which would allow him to have four more seasons of college eligibility after this season instead of three. Sanders said that decision would be up to Lewis.

‘You got to understand, I’m for the kids,’ Sanders said. ‘If that’s what they want, that’s what they’ll get. I’m not gonna mandate.’

Fourth-string quarterback enters game for Colorado

Staub attempted just two passes before getting benched himself. Both of those passes were intercepted by Arizona. His replacement, 18-year-old Lewis, completed 9 of 17 passes for 121 yards and a touchdown but left the game with injury to his right throwing hand with 1:03 left. He was replaced by fourth-string quarterback Dominiq Ponder, a transfer from Bethune Cookman. Ponder attempted only one pass, which fell incomplete. He also was sacked for a loss of 8 yards.

The loss was Deion Sanders’ worst loss at home at Colorado and comes a week after Sanders suffered a 53-7 loss at Utah, the worst loss of his coaching career in college.

Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com

TORONTO — Shohei Ohtani is not a mythical figure, but rather a real, live human being who simply does remarkable things on the baseball field. 

And the Toronto Blue Jays did not hesitate to ambush him in Game 7 of the World Series. 

Pitching on three days’ rest for the first time in his career, Ohtani looked wobbly from the start, and then Bo Bichette applied a lightning-fast knockout blow: A first-pitch, three-run homer that electrified Rogers Centre, gave the Blue Jays a 3-0 lead and a massive edge in a call-to-arms Game 7. 

It exited the bat at 110 mph, Rogers Centre reaching an ear-splitting noise level before Bichette’s first career postseason home run settled 442 feet away from home plate. The longtime Blue Jays cornerstone, hobbled by a knee injury that robbed him of the first two rounds of the playoffs, enjoyed the view, taking a few steps down the first base line before beginning his trot. 

The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are back-to-back World Series champions … and ready to celebrate.

The Dodgers won the title with a 5-4, 11-inning victory over the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 7 on Saturday.

It’s the first time the league has had a back-to-back champion since 2000.

While the celebration has already begun in Rogers Centre, the parade will officially take place back in Los Angeles on Monday and conclude at Dodger Stadium.

The stadium rally will also serve as a final goodbye for pitcher Clayton Kershaw, who is retiring after spending all 18 years of his (soon to be) Hall of Fame career with the Dodgers.

Tickets for the rally will go on sale Sunday at noon local time on the Dodgers’ website.

When is the Dodgers’ championship parade?

• When: 11 a.m. local time (2 p.m. ET)
• Where: Downtown Los Angeles

When is the Dodgers’ championship rally?

• When: 12:15 p.m. local time (3:15 p.m. ET)
• Where: Dodger Stadium (stadium gates open at 9 a.m. PT)

It’s wild to be writing that this soon, but Wembanyama, the San Antonio Spurs unicorn, 7-foot-5 forward-center, is playing out of his mind. He has leveraged his bulked up strength and has embraced efficiency. He’s a stretch forward — the stretch forward, actually — with the handles and shooting range of a guard. He is becoming historic and singular.

In USA TODAY Sports’ preseason ranking of Top 25 NBA players, our panelists slotted Wembanyama seventh. I fear we made a mistake; he might be the best player in the league right now.

More importantly, and for the first time in franchise history, the Spurs have started a season 5-0. They could blossom into potential under-the-radar contenders, even in the loaded Western Conference. And while the Spurs have last season’s Rookie of the Year in Stephon Castle and a burgeoning star in No. 2 overall pick Dylan Harper, Wembanyama is the catalyst for San Antonio’s rise.

“It’s not random,” Wembanyama said Thursday, Oct. 30 after a 107-101 victory over the Heat. “We didn’t get those five wins randomly. We worked for it. We started this season strong, and we need to keep that streak going for as long as possible.”

Wembanyama is averaging 30.2 points per game (ninth in the NBA) and 14.6 rebounds (first). He’s shooting 56.3% – which represents nearly a 9% jump from last season – and has embraced efficiency; he has become more selective with his 3 pointers, relying instead on high-percentage shots.

Yet, the weapon that has most elevated his game is his ability to draw contact and get to the line.

Wembanyama is averaging 9.6 free throw attempts per game this season, more than double from last year (4.1). Not surprisingly, he’s averaging 4.2 more points per game on free throws alone.

Wembanyama ranks third in player impact estimate (28.0), an advanced metric that calculates positive and negative contributions to a game. Essentially, the number represents the percentage of positive things the player was accountable for.

So, basically, Wembanyama has been responsible for more than a quarter of San Antonio’s positive plays.

“He can dunk without jumping,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said recently. “He is different.”

Only Luka Dončić (30.2) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (28.3) are ranked higher, and there’s a fairly significant drop-off from Wemby to the fourth player, three-time MVP Nikola Jokić (22.5).

The part that should have Spurs executives elated is that Wembanyama is only starting to unlock his potential.

He’s 21 years old and is only now starting to figure out how to use his increased lower-body strength to his advantage. And the gravity Wembanyama wields on defense is unparalleled.

He leads the NBA in blocked shots, with 24. That’s more than 15 NBA teams, or half of the league.

The Golden State Warriors as a team also have 24 blocked shots; they have played six games this season, one more than San Antonio.

It’s not just that he blocks shots, it’s more that he swats or spikes or plucks them out of the air, almost in annoyance that someone would dare challenge him. And, if you watch closely, you can see how offensive players fear his rim protection as they abort and divert their drives away from the basket.

All of it can utterly deflate opposing players.

But there has also been another shift in Wembanyama’s approach this season. His confidence has become ruthless, almost irrational, and it’s a trait that some of the game’s greatest eventually embodied on their paths to greatness.

In Thursday night’s victory against the Heat, Bam Adebayo caught a pass in the corner and blew past Wembanyama before thundering home a dunk on him.

After the game, untroubled, Wembanyama shrugged it off.

“Getting dunked on is part of the game,” he told reporters. “Until I’m getting dunked on more than I block shots, I’m going to keep going.

“But none of us are going to live to that day.”

What we will live through, in what’s becoming inevitable and obvious, is that Victor Wembanyama is marching toward dominance, possibly for decade(s) to come.

A fan carrying an American flag made their way onto the field at Rogers Centre in Toronto during Game 6 of the World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays.

The incident occurred during the sixth inning. The fan lost his flag while running from security, who eventually tackled him to the ground.

The Canadian fans were not receptive to the fan on the field and loud booing was heard inside the stadium.

Police were at the scene of a home and investigating in Nichols Hills, Oklahoma.

Suspects had already left the home before members of the Nichols Hills Police Department arrived. No arrests have been made, according to a statement from the police department.

The department mentioned in the statement that there will be an increased presence throughout the area during the Halloween festivities on Friday evening and in the coming weeks as a precaution.

Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder earned a 127-108 victory over the Washington Wizards on Thursday. The 2024-25 NBA MVP had 31 points and seven assists in 29 minutes played.

Week 9 of the 2025 NFL season opened with a dominant display by two-time MVP Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens. The team handed the Dolphins a 28-6 loss on ‘Thursday Night Football’ to drop Miami to 2-7 on the season.

The Dolphins didn’t take long to make changes after their loss in prime time. The franchise parted ways with general manager Chris Grier today after a decade in the position.

More moves in the future wouldn’t be surprising. Head coach Mike McDaniel is on pace for his worst performance since taking the job in 2022. Entering 2025, Miami had won more games over his first three years than the Los Angeles Rams or Tampa Bay Buccaneers and made the playoffs twice.

After last night’s loss, the postseason seems like a far-off dream barring one of the more miraculous turnarounds in NFL history.

It wouldn’t be unprecedented for the team to part ways with McDaniel. New Orleans fired coach Dennis Allen last season after he managed a 2-7 record through nine games – the same as McDaniel.

But McDaniel’s job is not immediately in danger; he will reportedly remain in his position through the rest of the season. Here’s why the team isn’t planning to fire him during the regular season.

Why are the Dolphins keeping Mike McDaniel?

McDaniel came to Miami with the reputation as an offensive mind after working under Kyle Shanahan for nearly a decade. McDaniel followed him along stops in Washington, Cleveland, Atlanta and finally San Francisco, where he was the team’s offensive coordinator in 2021.

McDaniel’s produced on offense when given the right chance. His first year in Miami saw the Dolphins finish 11th league-wide in points per game – their best result since 2014. In 2023, Miami was the league’s No. 2 scoring offense, a standing the franchise hadn’t reached since 1986.

McDaniel’s built one of the more consistently prolific offenses in the league in Miami despite missing starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa for 10 games over the last three years. The majority of that time came last season when the team failed to hit 0.500 for the first time under McDaniel.

The Dolphins lost their top offensive weapon, Tyreek Hill, to a season-ending injury in Week 4. It’s not surprising the team isn’t performing as well on offense without him.

NFL analyst Ian Rapoport said prior to the ‘Thursday Night Football’ loss that McDaniel’s job status was ‘firmly up in the air.’

‘I do not sense anything imminent from owner Stephen Ross, who likes him, believes in him and has invested in him,’ Rapoport said. ‘But here is how McDaniel is going to be judged. How do the players respond? What is it like in the locker room? Do they keep playing for him, or do they not, and can you see it? That is going to determine whether he keeps his job.’

Given what he said about Ross’ belief in McDaniel, the franchise may opt to pin this underwhelming season on the fired Grier before putting McDaniel too firmly on the hot seat. McDaniel’s track record for productive offenses would likely make him a hot candidate for a coaching position elsewhere if the team parted ways with him.

Mike McDaniel stats, record

Here’s how the Dolphins have fared under McDaniel every year of his time in Miami:

2022

• Record: 9-8, 2nd in AFC East, lost in wild-card playoffs
• Offense:
  • Points per game: 11th
  • Yards per game: 6th
• Defense:
  • Points per game: 24th
  • Yards per game: 18th

2023

• Record: 11-6, 2nd in AFC East, lost in wild-card playoffs
• Offense:
  • Points per game: 2nd
  • Yards per game: 1st
• Defense:
  • Points per game: 22nd
  • Yards per game: 10th

2024

• Record: 8-9, 2nd in AFC East
• Offense:
  • Points per game: 22nd
  • Yards per game: 18th
• Defense:
  • Points per game: 10th
  • Yards per game: 4th

2025 (nine games)

• Record: 2-7, 3rd in AFC East
• Offense:
  • Points per game: 25th
  • Yards per game: 28th
• Defense:
  • Points per game: 27th
  • Yards per game: 23rd