Argentina midfielder Alexis MacAllister (20), shown against Venezuela at Hard Rock Stadium on Friday, scored a pair of first-half goals against Puerto Rico Tuesday night at Chase Stadium.
Lionel Messi returned to the Argentina starting lineup on Tuesday night for a friendly against Puerto Rico at Chase Stadium, three nights after delivering two goals and an assist for Inter Miami in a 4-0 win over Atlanta United on the same field.
The Argentina game against Puerto Rico was originally scheduled to be played Monday night at Soldier Field in Chicago but was moved to Fort Lauderdale due to sagging ticket sales and concern over street protests about U.S. immigration policies.
Messi did not play for Argentina in the friendly Friday night at Hard Rock Stadium, which the Argentines won 1-0, and focused his energy, instead, on Inter Miami’s important league game on Saturday.
But Tuesday, he and his teammates gave the Argentine faithful a treat at a bargain price. Tickets were going for as low as $32 on game day, and they got to see three goals in the first 35 minutes. Fans of both teams also got a halftime show from Puerto Rican reggaeton star Ivy Queen.
Alexis Mac Allister scored the first goal in the 14th minute on a header from close range and Gonzalo Montiel made it 2-0 with a right footed shot from the center of the box after getting a perfect through pass from Messi. Mac Allister scored again at the 36-minute mark with a blast from close range from the center of the box.
Argentina, the reigning World Cup champion, is a favorite to defend its title next summer, when the 2026 World Cup is hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada. The Albiceleste finished South American World Cup qualifying with a nine-point lead over second-place Ecuador atop the standings.
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said he was using the Venezuela and Puerto Rico friendlies to evaluate different pairings and some younger, less-experienced players. The roster for Tuesday’s game included a mix of veterans and newcomers.
Messi was joined in the starting lineup by Dibu Martinez, Gonzalo Montiel, Leonardo Balerdi, Nicolas Otamendi, Nico Gonzalez, Rodrigo De Paul, Alexis Mac Allister, Giovani Lo Celso, Giuliano Simeone, and Jose “Flaco” Lopez, the Palmeiras forward who was making his national team debut.
De Paul, who is also Messi’s Inter Miami teammate, Otamendi and Mac Allister returned to the Starting XI after coming off the bench against Venezuela.
Puerto Rico has already been eliminated from World Cup contention in the CONCACAF region. Its roster included two college players, starting goalkeeper Sebastian Cutler (Villanova) and Noeh Hernandez (De Paul), and three teammates from USL club Miami FC : defender Nicolas Cardona, midfielder Gerald Diaz and forward Ricardo Rivera.
Cardona and Rivera were in the starting lineup. The rest of the starters were Giovanni Calderon, Steven Echevarria, Sidney Paris, Roberto Ydrach, Jeremy De Leon, Isaac Angking, Leandro Antonetti, and Wilfredo Rivera.
It was the first time Argentina and Puerto Rico faced each other in an official match.
This story was originally published October 14, 2025 at 8:55 PM.
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Michelle Kaufman
Miami Herald
Miami Herald sportswriter Michelle Kaufman has covered 14 Olympics, six World Cups, Wimbledon, U.S. Open, NCAA Basketball Tournaments, NBA Playoffs, Super Bowls and has been the soccer writer and University of Miami basketball beat writer for 25 years. She was born in Frederick, Md., and grew up in Miami.
