The game ended in a 3–3 draw, but emotions ran high—especially for Lionel Messi. In the closing moments, he felt he was fouled near the box, but referee Dickerson waved play on and motioned for him to get up. Furious, Messi confronted the ref after the final whistle.
It was a match full of emotion, goals, and intensity. Things got heated toward the end—especially for Lionel Messi, who wants to win it all. The game ended in a 3–3 draw against the San Jose Earthquakes on the road, but Messi was left furious after a late incident when referee Dickerson failed to call a foul on the Inter Miami number 10. After the final whistle, Messi confronted the referee, was shown a yellow card, and came dangerously close to seeing a different color. San Jose head coach Bruce Arena had to step in to calm things down.
It was an action-packed match. Inter Miami scored just 35 seconds in, San Jose came back and even went ahead 3–2, but the visitors equalized in the second half and pushed hard for a winner. Messi was active and had some chances, but couldn’t find the net. In the final minutes, he was taken down near the box, but the ref waved play on and told him to get up—that’s when Messi lost his cool.
The Argentine didn’t just exchange words with Dickerson—there were also heated gestures. As the Inter Miami captain was walking away, he turned to look back, and that’s when he received the yellow card. Messi returned for a few more words, prompting the referee to act like he was reaching for a red. Earthquakes coach Bruce Arena stepped in and escorted Leo away.
Dickerson had refereed Messi before—first in the 2023 US Open Cup during a draw against Cincinnati that Inter Miami won on penalties; briefly in a 2024 MLS match when Messi came on against Toronto; and in a friendly between Argentina and Guatemala before last year’s Copa América, a game in which Leo scored twice in a 4–1 win.
