The Columbus Crew’s game with Inter Miami in Cleveland Saturday was a big game in a couple of ways.

The first was the attendance. 60,614 souls found their way into Huntington Bank Field, with most wanting to get a glimpse of Lionel Messi before he leaves the pitch for good. It was the ninth time since joining Inter Miami in 2023 that a crowd of over 60,000 watched La Pulga play in an MLS contest.

It was also the battle of the two remaining undefeated MLS teams. Inter Miami scored the only goal of the game, grabbing the 1-0 win. It came in the 30th minute on a Benjamin Cremaschi header that beat Columbus goalkeeper Patrick Schulte. 

The Crew posted 16 shots, led by newcomer Daniel Gazdag’s four tries. Twelve of those shots came in the second half. It was the third time that the Black & Gold have been shut out in an MLS game this season. The first two resulted in 0-0 draws.

Inter Miami is now 5-0-3, while the Crew is 5-1-3. They both have 18 points in the MLS Eastern Conference standings, one point behind both Charlotte and Cincinnati. The Crew’s next game will be at home next Saturday against the San Jose Earthquakes. Game time at Lower.com Field is slated for 7:30 p.m.

The crowd for the Inter Miami game is the highest single-game attendance at a Crew home game and the highest non-football mark at Huntington Bank Field.