Inter Miami CF Defeats Portland Timbers 2-0 in Historic First Victory at Nu Stadium
MLS Inter Miami CF

Inter Miami CF Defeats Portland Timbers 2-0 in Historic First Victory at Nu Stadium

Published on May 17, 2026 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Inter Miami CF News Release


MIAMI - Inter Miami CF (8W-2L-4D, 28 points) earned a 2-0 victory over the Portland Timbers in 2026 MLS regular season action tonight in what marked the Club's historic first victory at Nu Stadium. Goals by captain Leo Messi and forward Germán Berterame secured the historic result.

Inter Miami took the field with Dayne St. Clair in goal; Ian Fray, Gonzalo Luján, Micael, and Sergio Reguilón formed the back four; Rodrigo De Paul, Yannick Bright, and Telasco Segovia started in midfield; Messi, Luis Suárez, and Berterame led the team in attack.

Inter Miami took the lead in the 34th minute with a fantastic team play. Messi picked up Suárez outside the box down, where he played a ball into Segovia's path as he broke into the box. The Venezuelan midfielder pulled off a brilliant backheel pass to find Messi in the center of the box, who was clinical as per usual, and found the back of the net with a left-footed effort. The goal was Messi's 12th this regular season, while the assist was Segovia's eight as he continues leading the team in assists this league campaign.

Inter Miami doubled its lead before the half in the 40th minute through a first time right-footed finish to the bottom-left corner from Berterame from inside the box, following a brilliant run and assist by Messi. Berterame tallied his fifth goal this regular season, while Messi recorded his sixth assist. With the assist, Messi has now recorded multiple goal contributions in each of his past four appearances.

The second half presented an even matchup with both sides pushing for a goal. Notably, St. Clair had a key intervention in goal in the 78th minute to deny a header from Portland's Kevin Kelsy. The Canadian international goalkeeper had an overall well-rounded performance in goal, with four saves en route to securing a clean sheet.

The 2-0 scoreline would hold through the final minute for Inter Miami to secure a historic first win at its state-of-the-art stadium in the heart of Miami.

Next, Inter Miami will host the Philadelphia Union at Nu Stadium next Sunday, May 24 at 7 p.m. ET. Secure your tickets HERE.

Inter Miami CF Academy Play It Forward Activation

Aside from the historic win, the Inter Miami CF Academy partnered with Ticketmaster to honor our Academy player with the most impact in the community through the Play It Forward activation. Elliel Estrada was the honored Academy player this evening after logging the most community service hours over the past month. Estrada was featured on Nu Stadium's scoreboard, and was rewarded with a custom jersey and tickets for our next First Team home game.

Scoring Summary:

MIA - Leo Messi (Telasco Segovia, Luis Suárez) 31', Germán Berterame (Leo Messi, Luis Suárez) 42'

Misconduct:

MIA - Rodrigo De Paul (Yellow Card) 41', Telasco Segovia (Yellow Card) 58'

POR - David Da Costa (Yellow Card) 65', Finn Surman (Yellow Card) 90'+2

Lineups / Substitutions:

Inter Miami CF - GK Dayne St. Clair; D Ian Fray (Facundo Mura HT), Gonzalo Luján, Micael, Sergio Reguilón; M Rodrigo De Paul, Yannick Bright (David Ayala 82'), Telasco Segovia; F Leo Messi ©, Luis Suárez (Daniel Pinter 66'), Germán Berterame (Preston Plambeck 83')

Unused Substitutes - GK Rocco Ríos Novo; D Maximiliano Falcón, Noah Allen; M David Ruíz, Alexander Shaw

Portland Timbers - GK James Pantemis; D Brandon Bye, Finn Surman, Kamal Miller (Ian Smith 67'), Jimer Fory; M Diego Chara (Joao Ortiz HT), David Da Costa (Alexander Aravena 74'), Cole Bassett; F Kristoffer Velde, Kevin Kelsy (Gage Guerra 86'), Antony (Juan Mosquera 86')

Unused Substitutes - GK Trey Muse; D Alex Bonetig; F Ariel Lassiter, Felipe Mora

Details of the Game:

Date: May 17, 2026

Time: 6 p.m. ET

Stadium: Nu Stadium

Attendance: 26,715

Stats:

Possession:

MIA - 49.2%

POR - 50.8%

Shots:

MIA - 22

POR - 16

Saves:

MIA - 4

POR - 7

Corners:

MIA - 8

POR - 5

Fouls:

MIA - 15

POR - 10

Check out the Inter Miami CF Statistics

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Major League Soccer Stories from May 17, 2026


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