MIAMI (AP) — Lionel Messi headed into the World Cup break a bit earlier than planned, and now it'll be Argentina waiting to see if there's an injury to worry about.
Messi — who almost never gets subbed out of matches — left in the 73rd minute, meaning he was long gone before Luis Suárez's third goal of the night lifted the defending MLS champions past the last-place Philadelphia Union 6-4 on Sunday night.
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Inter Miami forward Germán Berterame (19) celebrates with teammates after scoring his side's third goal during the first half of an MLS soccer match against Philadelphia Union, Sunday, May 24, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Inter Miami forward Luis Suárez celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the first half of an MLS soccer match against Philadelphia Union, Sunday, May 24, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi (10) drives downfield under pressure from Philadelphia Union midfielder Ben Bender (16) during the first half of an MLS soccer match, Sunday, May 24, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Philadelphia Union goalkeeper Andre Blake (18) deflects a corner kick from Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi during the first half of an MLS soccer match, Sunday, May 24, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi (10) comes under pressure from Philadelphia Union midfielder Jovan Lukic (4), midfielder Cavan Sullivan (6), and midfielder Danley Jean Jacques (21), during the first half of an MLS soccer match, Sunday, May 24, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Messi had two assists and Germán Berterame scored twice during a record-setting first half for Inter Miami. But Messi basically took himself out of play in the 71st minute and reached toward his left hamstring at least once, then didn't even venture toward the Inter Miami bench when he could be subbed out.
Messi was replaced by Mateo Silvetti, then left immediately through the tunnel connecting the field with the team’s locker room. Messi was walking under his own power, albeit slowly, and without any team medical personnel with him.
Rodrigo De Paul, on his birthday, scored in stoppage time to seal the win for Inter Miami.
Heavy rain began falling early in the second half, causing some players to seem to slip on the turf. It wasn't clear if Messi's departure was precautionary or not, and it didn't seem like he took any major missteps during the worst of the rain.
Messi has said in the past that he would only play in the World Cup if healthy. Argentina starts group stage play on June 16.
Milan Iloski had a first-half hat trick — including two penalty kicks — and Bruno Damiani also scored for Union, which was up 2-0 only 10 minutes into the match. That start set the stage for the teams to be tied at 4-4 at the half.
The eight goals by halftime was an MLS record, the league said.
"It's beautiful, it's fun to be a part of the game, it’s fun to sing a national anthem and obviously to see Messi and all these greats so close to me, it’s an honor," said Grammy-nominated singer and Miami resident Luis Fonsi, who performed “The Star-Spangled Banner” pregame. "I’m a fan and I’m enjoying every bit of it.”
He was asked what it's like to share the field with Messi.
“He’s a lot more known than me — times a million," Fonsi said.
Messi has already appeared in five World Cups, winning the Golden Ball as the tournament's best player twice — first in 2014, then again in 2022 when he led Argentina to the title. That award has been given out only since 1982, but he is the lone player to win it twice.
Argentina is in Group J for the World Cup. Its group stage matches: Algeria, at Kansas City, on June 16; Austria, at Arlington, Texas, on June 22; and Jordan, back in Arlington, on June 27.
If Argentina wins that group — and the defending champions would be heavily favored to do so — then Messi would play a Round of 32 match in Miami Gardens on July 3. The only other way for Messi to play in South Florida during the tournament would be if Argentina is in the third-place match on July 18.
Of course, all that is contingent on whether Messi plays. And that would now seem to be in at least some question.
Inter Miami (9-2-4, 31 points) enters the break second in the Eastern Conference, two points behind Nashville (10-1-3, 33 points). Inter Miami is also fourth in the Supporters’ Shield standings — a trophy that Philadelphia won last season.
The Union won’t be winning that this season. Not even close.
They’re at the bottom of the league, a stunning first-to-worst collapse and head into the break with seven points — at 1-10-4.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/soccer
Inter Miami forward Germán Berterame (19) celebrates with teammates after scoring his side's third goal during the first half of an MLS soccer match against Philadelphia Union, Sunday, May 24, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Inter Miami forward Luis Suárez celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the first half of an MLS soccer match against Philadelphia Union, Sunday, May 24, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi (10) drives downfield under pressure from Philadelphia Union midfielder Ben Bender (16) during the first half of an MLS soccer match, Sunday, May 24, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Philadelphia Union goalkeeper Andre Blake (18) deflects a corner kick from Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi during the first half of an MLS soccer match, Sunday, May 24, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi (10) comes under pressure from Philadelphia Union midfielder Jovan Lukic (4), midfielder Cavan Sullivan (6), and midfielder Danley Jean Jacques (21), during the first half of an MLS soccer match, Sunday, May 24, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
A damaged chemical tank in Southern California has a crack, potentially lowering the risk of a cataclysmic explosion, though an evacuation order remains in effect for some 50,000 area residents with no timeline on when they can return, fire officials said Sunday.
Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Wayhowe Huang said that fire officials were able to evaluate the tank more closely overnight and discovered the tank had cracked.
Huang told The Associated Press earlier Sunday that it did not appear any of the highly volatile chemicals in the tank have leaked. “There’s still the danger of a possible explosion," Huang said.
Firefighters have been spraying the tank with water in an effort to cool the chemicals inside and prevent an explosion. The inside of the tank reached 100 degrees (37.7 Celsius) Sunday, Democratic state Sen. Tom Umberg said, an increase of 10 degrees Fahrenheit (5.5 Celsius) since Saturday.
Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, who declared a state of emergency Saturday, said in a post on X he had asked President Donald Trump to issue an emergency declaration to bolster federal support for local and state officials.
The pressurized tank overheated Thursday and began venting vapors at a company site in Garden Grove, about 40 miles (60 kilometers) south of downtown Los Angeles, according to the Fire Authority.
No injuries have been reported. Air monitoring tests have found that air pollution around the evacuation zone is within normal limits, and specialized equipment has been deployed to ensure no gas is released from the compromised tank, state and federal environmental officials said Saturday.
The streets were empty in the area Sunday, according to aerial photos taken by the AP.
A crack could be a welcome development, as it could mean product or pressure inside the tank is being released, reducing the chance the tank explodes, said Andrew Whelton, an engineering professor at Purdue University.
“Think of a soda can. If you leave it in a hot car it can explode," he said. “But if you put a hole in the can, the product is released and the can itself doesn’t explode.”
Elias Picazo, a chemistry professor at the University of Southern California, agreed that a crack could be a positive development.
“A strategic leak buys more time for the liquid within the tank to solidify as the reaction continues,” he said. “Depending on where the leak is, it can also be used to direct the unreacted liquid out of the tank in a controlled manner.”
Faisal Khan, head of the chemical engineering department at Texas A&M University, said a crack suggests an explosion could still happen -- just not in the magnitude initially feared.
“Cooling is happening on the surface of the tank while runaway reaction may be occurring deep inside the tank,” he explained. “Yes, reaction is slowed compared to what it started. However, we are not out of explosive release risk.”
Several shelters for evacuees remained open. The parking lot was full Sunday at an evacuation center at a high school in neighboring La Palma. Some people, including a family of seven, slept in cars or on mats and sleeping bags on the asphalt. The large family also had nine cats with them. They stacked up cat carriers for a makeshift table as they waited around, sipping coffee and tending to the pets.
Meanwhile, some Garden Grove residents filed a class-action lawsuit on Saturday against GKN Aerospace Transparency Systems, the company that operates the facility where the tank is located.
Lawyers for residents living in the evacuation zone argued in their federal court lawsuit that regardless of what happens next, property values in the surrounding community are sure to be impacted.
Spokespersons for the company didn’t comment on the lawsuit itself, but pointed to a Saturday statement in which they apologized to residents and businesses that have been forced to evacuate.
On Sunday, the company released another statement saying it was monitoring the “condition of the affected material” and “working around the clock to mitigate the risk of a leak.”
Officials said the valves on the tank are broken or “gummed up,” which prevented crews from removing the chemical or relieving the pressure on the tank, said Craig Covey, Orange County Fire Authority division chief.
Firefighters’ first hope is to find a way to cool off the chemical inside the tank so it won’t leak or explode. If that is not possible, Whelton said it would be best if the tank sprang a leak so the chemical could be mostly contained. An explosion that could spread the chemical over a broad area and send shrapnel flying would be the worst-case scenario.
If the temperature inside the tank continues to increase, the pressure will continue to build as the methyl methacrylate converts from a liquid to a gas. Whelton said it’s unlikely that firefighters would consider creating a hole in the tank because of fears that could create a spark that might ignite the volatile and flammable gas.
Drones were monitoring temperatures at 10-minute intervals to watch for any spikes, Covey said on a social media post on X. Containment barriers have been set up to prevent the chemical from getting into storm drains or reaching creeks or the nearby ocean in the event of a spill, Covey said.
The damaged tank is located at GKN Aerospace, which makes parts for commercial and military aircraft. It holds 6,000 to 7,000 gallons (22,700 and 26,500 liters) of methyl methacrylate, used to make plastic parts.
GKN agreed to pay state regulators more than $900,000 in 2025 to settle violations involving recordkeeping, permitting issues and nitrogen oxide emissions, according to a report on the South Coast Air Quality Management District website.
Exposure to methyl methacrylate can cause serious respiratory problems and even render someone unconscious. It can also cause neurological problems and irritate the skin, eyes and throat, according to fact sheets about the chemical. But Orange County health officials said the chemical is easy to smell and residents may notice it over a large area without being harmed.
Whelton said the volume of chemical in the tank is much smaller than in the disastrous 2023 train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, which he studied when more than 115,000 gallons (435,000 liters) of vinyl chloride was released after officials blew open five tank cars and burned the chemical.
“Many of these are acute, fast-acting effects. But the longer somebody stays in contact with it, the more potential for significant damage that occurs,” Whelton said.
If an explosion releases the chemical into the air, Whelton said, it will be crucial to conduct detailed air monitoring specifically for methyl methacrylate and not just generic tests for volatile organic compounds as officials did in East Palestine.
The weather will be an important factor in determining where a plume of chemicals would go in the event of an explosion. Officials were developing maps to predict different scenarios.
Garden Grove is next to Anaheim, home to Disneyland’s two theme parks, which were not under evacuation orders. Park officials said they were monitoring the incident and supporting employees impacted by evacuations.
Marcelo reported from New York. Associated Press journalist Ethan Swope contributed to this report.
Emergency personnel work at the incident command post at the Los Alamitos Race Course in Cypress, Calif., on Sunday, May 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
The streets remain empty in Garden Grove, Calif., on Sunday, May 24, 2026, after a storage tank containing a chemical used to make plastic parts overheated Thursday at an aerospace plastics facility. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
An evacuee gather their pets and belongings at the John F. Kennedy High School in La Palma, Calif., on Sunday, May 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Water is sprayed on a damaged tank at GKN Aerospace in Garden Grove, Calif., on Sunday, May 24, 2026, after the tank containing a chemical used to make plastic parts overheated Thursday. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
The streets remain empty in Garden Grove, Calif., on Sunday, May 24, 2026, after a storage tank containing a chemical used to make plastic parts overheated Thursday at an aerospace plastics facility. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Water is sprayed on a damaged tank at GKN Aerospace in Garden Grove, Calif., on Sunday, May 24, 2026, after the tank containing a chemical used to make plastic parts overheated Thursday. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
People arrive at Freedom Hall, an evacuation center in Fountain Valley, Calif., after a storage tank containing a chemical used to make plastic parts overheated Thursday at an aerospace plastics facility in Garden Grove, on Saturday, May 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Jill Connelly)
People arrive at Freedom Hall, an evacuation center in Fountain Valley, Calif., after a storage tank containing a chemical used to make plastic parts overheated Thursday at an aerospace plastics facility in Garden Grove, on Saturday, May 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Jill Connelly)
Evacuees from an aerospace chemical plant tank leak move to another shelter after the Garden Grove Sports and Recreation Center closed for the night in Garden Grove, Calif., Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Water is sprayed on a tank that overheated at an aerospace plant in Garden Grove, Calif., Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
