Lionel Messi was the star again in Texas on Sunday night during **Inter Miami’s** 5-3 penalty shootout win over **FC Dallas** in the **Leagues Cup 2023** round of 16. While punching his ticket into the quarterfinals, the Argentine striker remains unbeaten in the Lone Star State and once again scored off a free kick.
Inter Miami traveled to Dallas to square up with FC Dallas for the round of 16. Messi starred in an incredible match that ended in a 4-4 draw. La Pulga scored this great free kick goal to equalize with five minutes remaining.
But it is not the Argentine's first spectacular free kick in Texas. On his last visit, Messi played in the 2016 Copa América Centenario Semifinal when Argentina defeated the United States 4-0 at the NRG Stadium in Houston. Messi scored his team’s second goal of the match.
Messi's first appearance in Texas dates back to the beginning of his career, when FC Barcelona played a summer friendly in 2006 against SC Club América, also at the NRG Stadium in Houston.
The Argentine entered in the second half to play 30 minutes in what ended up being a 4-4 draw, with Rafael Márquez, Ronaldinho, Javier Saviola and Samuel Eto'o scoring goals for Barça.
The striker returned to Texas almost a decade later, this time with the Argentina National Team, which played three games there between 2015 and 2016. The first was in May 2015, in a resounding 7-0 win over Bolivia in Houston, where Messi scored a brace.
Another friendly came in September of that year. The former FC Barcelona player scored a late equalizer for La Albiceleste to take a 2-2 draw against Mexico, in a match in which Houston Dynamo FC midfielder Héctor Herrera and now Los Angeles Galaxy striker Javier Hernández also scored.
The victory on penalties this Sunday against FC Dallas is Leo's fifth visit, with three wins and two draws. Not only is he undefeated, but his performance is improving. Will he continue his goal streak in Texas?
