Three Up, Three Down: Callender's heroics, Messi's two assists lead Inter Miami to crucial 3-1 win at LAFC

Inter Miami had one of its best all-around performances Sunday in one of its most important wins, 3-1 at defending champion LAFC, to gain three important points and keep alive its slender playoff hopes. After each match, Inter Heron shares its thoughts on the Herons' three most impactful and three least or most negatively impactful players in pink. And, no, if you're wondering, Prince Harry nor Selena Gomez nor Jason Sudeikis made the cut.

Lionel Messi, B+

The great Lionel Messi failed to score for the second straight match (although it took a superb point-blank save from McCarthy to keep Messi off the board) but, like Alba, he seemed more energized than he had midweek at Nashville. Maybe it was the star power in Los Angeles; maybe it was the playoff chase (Inter Miami's win moved it to within eight points of 9th-place D.C. United; or maybe it was redemption for a rare subpar -- for Messi -- performance, but "the Flea" again was making the defense itch. His two assists helped seal the win for the Pink, and returned him to this showcase, where he belongs.