Liel Abada continued his fine form on Saturday, netting a double to inspire Charlotte FC’s dramatic fightback against Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami. Trailing 3–0, the North Carolina side surged back to rescue a 3–3 draw in Matchday 34 - the final fixture of the MLS regular season.
Abada appeared to open the scoring as early as the fourth minute with a powerful finish, only for the goal to be ruled out for a teammate’s handball earlier in the play. Inter Miami capitalized on the let-off, storming into a commanding 3–0 lead through goals from Ian Fray (14'), Luis Suarez (33'), and Rodrigo De Paul (42'). Yet despite the heavy deficit, the visitors refused to break.
Idan Toklomati, who lined up in the starting XI alongside Abada, was replaced at the break by Tyger Smalls. The substitution paid immediate dividends, with Smalls setting up Abada to spark the comeback in the 50th minute. Just five minutes later, the Israeli international combined brilliantly in a one-two with Spanish playmaker Pep Biel before drilling a low, hard shot into the far corner to make it 3–2. The stunning turn of events was capped off in the 90th minute when Rodolfo Aloko slotted home to level the scores at 3–3.
While Charlotte pressed hard to pull off an unprecedented victory, they ultimately had to settle for a point, wrapping up their campaign in fifth place in the Eastern Conference.
Elsewhere in MLS action, the New England Revolution suffered a 1–0 defeat away to Orlando City, finishing third in the East. Israeli defender Ilay Feingold played the full 90 minutes for New England, while striker Dor Turgeman started and was withdrawn in the 59th minute. Orlando is led by head coach Martin Perelman and assistant Manuel Goldberg - both of whom are Jewish figures with deep ties to Israeli soccer.