Messi has enjoyed immense success throughout his career in this right space role. He is Messi for crying out loud, the one who commands the most talented left foot in history.
He can get on the ball and cut in on the left, blowing past defenders with quick touches and a low center of gravity. Or, the number 10 can drift into the middle, receive a pass there and then fire forward through the heart of the opposition’s defensive formation – which is exactly what happened in his first touch for Miami. After dropping deep, Messi received the ball from Yedlin and drove at the Cruz Azul defense, combining his way down the rest of the pitch with a quick one-two with his teammates.