TORONTO (AP) — Lionel Messi played off the bench for Inter Miami on Saturday at Toronto, the next-to-last contest of the regular season for the MLS Supporters Shield winners.
He was on the field for the only goal, Leonardo Campana's score in the third minute of second-half stoppage time that gave Inter Miami a 1-0 victory and moved the Herons one win away from setting the MLS record for points in a season.
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Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi (10) controls the ball during second half an MLS soccer game against Toronto FC in Toronto, Saturday Oct. 5, 2024. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)
Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi looks on from the sidelines before the start of an MLS soccer match against Toronto FC in Toronto Saturday Oct. 5, 2024. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)
Fans watch Inter Miami's Lionel Messi take his place on the bench before the start of an MLS soccer match against Toronto FC in Toronto Saturday Oct. 5, 2024. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)
Fans looks on as Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi, front right, and Luis Suárez make their way to the sidelines before the start of an MLS soccer match against Toronto FC in Toronto Saturday Oct. 5, 2024. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)
Fans looks on as Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi, front right, and Luis Suárez make their way to the sidelines before the start of an MLS soccer match against Toronto FC in Toronto Saturday Oct. 5, 2024. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)
Messi among the Inter Miami regulars not in starting lineup for match at Toronto
Messi among the Inter Miami regulars not in starting lineup for match at Toronto
Inter Miami's Lionel Messi dribbles the ball as Columbus Crew's Alexandru Matan defends during the first half of an MLS soccer match Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)
Messi, the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner, came on as a reserve in the 61st minute, as did fellow would-be starter Sergio Busquets. Also out of the starting 11 for Inter Miami on Saturday were Jordi Alba, Luis Suarez and goalkeeper Drake Callender.
Suarez came on in the 71st minute and was credited with the assist on Campana's goal.
Inter Miami coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino indicated Friday that Messi's workload would be a consideration now that the team has wrapped up the No. 1 seed and home-field advantage for the entirety of the MLS Cup playoffs. Inter Miami will play its first playoff match at home on Oct. 25.
Messi is set to report to Argentina's national team in the coming days for World Cup qualifying matches on Oct. 10 and Oct. 15. Those matches, and the travel involved, would figure to put his availability in some doubt for Inter Miami's regular-season finale at home on Oct. 19 against New England.
Oscar Ustari — a teammate of Messi's on the Argentina team that won Olympic gold in 2008 — was in goal against Toronto in Callender's spot, making his debut with the club. Ustari signed with Inter Miami last month.
Inter Miami's win Saturday keeps the club in position to set the MLS single-season points record. If it wins the finale against New England, the Herons would finish with 74 points — one more than the 73 that New England managed in 2021.
Messi has 17 goals in 18 MLS matches this season, including two in the shield-clinching 3-2 win at Columbus on Wednesday.
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Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi (10) controls the ball during second half an MLS soccer game against Toronto FC in Toronto, Saturday Oct. 5, 2024. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)
Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi looks on from the sidelines before the start of an MLS soccer match against Toronto FC in Toronto Saturday Oct. 5, 2024. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)
Fans watch Inter Miami's Lionel Messi take his place on the bench before the start of an MLS soccer match against Toronto FC in Toronto Saturday Oct. 5, 2024. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)
Fans looks on as Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi, front right, and Luis Suárez make their way to the sidelines before the start of an MLS soccer match against Toronto FC in Toronto Saturday Oct. 5, 2024. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)
Fans looks on as Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi, front right, and Luis Suárez make their way to the sidelines before the start of an MLS soccer match against Toronto FC in Toronto Saturday Oct. 5, 2024. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)
Messi among the Inter Miami regulars not in starting lineup for match at Toronto
Messi among the Inter Miami regulars not in starting lineup for match at Toronto
Inter Miami's Lionel Messi dribbles the ball as Columbus Crew's Alexandru Matan defends during the first half of an MLS soccer match Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)
Hanukkah — also spelled Chanukah or other transliterations from Hebrew — is Judaism’s “festival of lights.” On eight consecutive nightfalls, Jews gather with family and friends to light one additional candle in the menorah — a multibranched candelabra.
In Hebrew, Hanukkah means “dedication,” and the holiday marks the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem in the 2nd century BC, after a small group of Jewish fighters liberated it from occupying foreign forces.
With the tiny supply of ritually pure oil that they found in the temple, they lit the menorah — and it stayed lit for eight days. The ritual of lighting a nightly candle, as well as the emphasis on cooking foods in oil such as potato pancakes called latkes, memorialize this miraculously long-lasting oil.
The dates of the holiday are based on Hebrew month of Kislev, which usually coincides with November-December in the Gregorian calendar.
This year, Hanukkah will be celebrated from Dec. 25, 2024, through Jan. 2, 2025.
Jews across the religious observance spectrum — from Reform to Conservative to Orthodox — focus on the same theme of bringing light into the darkness and emphasizing that even a small, against-the-odds effort can have a transforming effect.
For this reason, even though the Talmud reflects a dispute over the order of lighting, most start with one candle and increase the lighting by one more candle each night while reciting or chanting special blessings.
The candles are added from right to left, but lit from left to right on the menorah, thus always starting with the newest light. The special menorah used for Hanukkah has eight branches, with a ninth place for the candle called shamash from which all others are lit.
The tradition calls for candles with a real flame, though some also use electric ones in public displays, such as in hospitals, for safety reasons.
A menorah is lit in each household and traditionally is placed where it can be seen from the outside, such as a doorway or windowsill, to symbolize the spreading of God’s light to all nations.
The lighting of menorahs in city streets and parks has become more prominent in recent years in countries around the world, including in front of public landmarks.
In addition to menorah lightings, giving to charity and social works are also part of the celebration for many, reflecting the belief that the Jewish people are called by God to help make the world better for all.
Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
Rabbi Peter Tarlow lights a candle on a menorah during a Chicanukah event at Holocaust Museum Houston on Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/Annie Mulligan)