Lionel Messi netted twice and assisted Sergio Busquets for another goal as Inter Miami defeated Nashville 3-1 on Saturday, maintaining their lead in Major League Soccer's Eastern Conference.
Miami suffered an early setback when defender Franco Negri accidentally redirected a corner from Daniel Lovitz into their own net in the second minute at Chase Stadium.
Gerardo Martino's side has now gone 11 games without a clean sheet. Their luck nearly worsened when Josh Bauer struck the bar just three minutes later.
However, Messi soon equalized for Miami. After being set free by a clever flick from Diego Gomez, his initial shot was parried out by Nashville keeper Elliot Panicco. Luis Suarez directed the loose ball back to Messi, who slotted home to make it 1-1 in the 11th minute.
Two minutes later, Messi took advantage of Nashville's sloppy play, but his low right-foot shot hit the post.
Miami's attacks were primarily through Messi, who had a snapshot go wide before delivering a cross for a Gomez header, saved by Panicco's feet.
Six minutes before halftime, Messi's former Barcelona teammate Busquets scored his first goal in MLS, meeting the World Cup winner's corner with a glancing header at the near post.
However, Miami suffered a setback just before halftime when Paraguay international Gomez was stretchered off with an ankle injury, adding to its series of injuries.
His replacement, Brazilian-born youngster Leonardo Afonso, had a goal ruled out for offside.
Nashville came out strong after halftime, but despite dominating possession for the opening 20 minutes, they had little to show for their efforts other than a couple of off-target long-range shots from German Hany Mukhtar.
Nine minutes from the end, Miami sealed the game when Afonso was brought down inside the box by Bauer, and Messi converted the penalty.
The goal was Messi's ninth in as many games in all competitions this season for Miami.
Martino expressed dissatisfaction with his team's slow start. "Regardless of how fortunate their goal was, we didn't start well in the first few minutes. They were more focused, more intense, they handled the ball better, they pressed," he said.
"There are a lot of things we need to correct, but I'd like to do it with the full squad. We have seven or eight players out, which is a lot in a league as strict as MLS with roster and budget issues," he added.
Miami has 18 points from their opening 10 games, and Martino said that was a decent return considering the depleted squad he is working with.
"All this happened to us, and we have still collected 18 points, which is significantly more than last year at this stage. We will be looking to accumulate points now so that the second part of the year is not as demanding and dramatic as last year," he said, referring to the ill-fated late chase for a playoff place.
In other MLS action on Saturday, champions Columbus Crew had to come from behind twice to earn a 2-2 draw with Phil Neville's Portland Timbers.
The equalizer came in the 74th minute via a superbly struck long-range shot from French full-back Steven Moreira.
Last season's regular-season table-toppers Cincinnati claimed an impressive 2-1 win at Atlanta United despite falling behind to a lovely, curling shot from Argentine midfielder Thiago Almada in the 59th minute.
The lead lasted just three minutes as reigning MLS Most Valuable Player Luciano Acosta led Cincinnati on a counterattack and fed compatriot Luca Orellano to level.
Acosta completed a crazy five minutes when he grabbed the winner, tapping in after DeAndre Yedlin picked him out.
