Since his dramatic transfer from Paris Saint-Germain to Inter Miami was made official in July, Lionel Messi has had a significant impact on American soccer. The Argentine superstar has been there for a long time.

All eyes will be on Messi as he tries to turn Miami from near the bottom of the standings into playoff candidates and, ultimately, championship competitors. Messi is without a doubt the greatest star in MLS and most likely the biggest the league has ever seen.

Therefore, GOAL is here to make sure you don’t miss any of Messi’s performances throughout his stay in Miami. American journalist Ryan Tolmich will be watching and evaluating Messi in each of his games with his new team.View our most recent grades below and share your thoughts with us in the comments area.

There are affiliate connections on this page. If you sign up through the links below, we could get a commission.October 7: FC Cincinnati, MLS 0-1 Inter Miami

Inter Miami’s prospects of making the playoffs were in shambles going into their match against FC Cincinnati, having played four games in all categories without its marquee superstar. With the Argentine out of the starting lineup, the enchantment had worn off, and Inter Miami went back to their pre-Messi ways, which first placed them in this hole.

The good news is that Messi finally made his season debut, substituting in the second half to attempt to keep Inter Miami’s chances of survival alive. But Messi’s abilities were insufficient for this mission. Ultimately, it proved to be excessive, even for a guy who has consistently managed to achieve seemingly unattainable feats throughout his career.

Messi didn’t seem to be the same player who had helped Miami go this far—out of the MLS bottom and into the slim chance of making it to the playoffs. Rather, we saw a player—who is probably still hurt—trying to make an impact while his team had a last chance.

His two best opportunities were both free kicks that sailed far wide of the mark. Messi struggled to get into the game for the whole thirty-five minutes he was on it, and Inter Miami’s season was finally terminated by a goal from Alvaro Barreal of Cincinnati.

Even if Messi did all in his power to prevent it, the season ended on this particular day. There will be plenty of time to analyze and determine what it meant. A C-ission grade.