The Columbus Crew traveled to South Florida for a match Saturday against Inter-Miami. Newly-signed Brais Méndez recorded a goal in the 84th minute on a free kick to equalize the score at 2-2 and that’s how things ended. Here are our three takeaways from Saturday’s action:

1.    The Crew are hoping that the addition of players signed in the last month will help them pick up standings points as they continue play after the World Cup break. One of those players is Brais Méndez, who inked a deal in early July with the Black & Gold after being acquired from La Liga’s Real Sociedad. The Spanish midfielder is now one of the Crew’s Designated Players, so a lot is expected. He certainly made his presence known in his Columbus debut.

2.   Max Arfsten was not available for the Crew Saturday. While no official announcement has been made by the team, it has been reported by many outlets that he is on his way to England’s Middlesbrough FC for a transfer fee of up to $7.5 million. Arfsten represented the Black & Gold at the MLS All-Star Game this past week and was a member of the United States Men’s National Team that participated in this summer’s World Cup. 

3.   It’s hard to talk about a match with Inter-Miami without talking about Lionel Messi. Messi did play in Saturday’s contest, his first action since Argentina fell to Spain in the World Cup final, but did not make his way onto the pitch until the 52′ mark. Despite taking four shots, one on net, and being the focus of the offensive attack in the final moments of the match, he did not score and the Crew came away with the draw.