The end of the September international break saw the return of Major League Soccer and a certain Inter Miami forward.
Argentine superstar Lionel Messi made his long-awaited return from an ankle injury to propel Miami to a 3–1 triumph over Philadelphia Union. The 37-year-old grabbed a pair of first-half goals while also setting up teammate Luis Suárez for a late strike to seal the three points.
Elsewhere around MLS, Nashville SC won for the first time under new manager B.J. Callaghan at Atlanta United. LA Galaxy pulled off a 4–2 comeback victory over LAFC in the latest edition of El Tráfico in which a pair of key midfielders played their part in the win.
Here is SI Soccer's MLS Team of the Week for Matchweek 32.
MLS Team of the Week (4–3–3)
GK: Joe Willis (Nashville SC)
Joe Willis was key in Nashville not only picking up its first win in 10 matches, but also keeping a clean sheet for the first time since a 1–0 victory over NYCFC on June 22. Willis came up with five saves during the match on the road against a tough rival.
RB: Griffin Dorsey (Houston Dynamo)
Houston Dynamo managed to close the gap on Western Conference foe Real Salt Lake after a 4-1 home win against the Utah-based team. Full-back Griffin Dorsey got on the scoresheet near the end of the first half to double Houston's lead before an own goal from teammate Erik Sviatchenko pulled one back for the visitors.
CB: Walker Zimmerman (Nashville SC)
Walker Zimmerman stepped up on the road in Atlanta to help Nashville keep a rare clean sheet as it rebuilds under Callaghan. Zimmerman didn't allow Atlanta's forwards to get into a rhythm up front with 10 clearances, two interceptions and two aerial duels won.
CB: Micael (Houston Dynamo)
The Dynamo didn't keep a clean sheet against Salt Lake, but it still limited a team with Cristian Arango and Diogo Goncalves to just one goal that was self-inflicted. Center-back Micael was excellent on the night, winning all three of his tackles, making two blocks, five clearances and two interceptions.
LB: Jordi Alba (Inter Miami)
Ex-Barcelona full-back Jordi Alba logged another assist in a Miami shirt over the weekend in the win over Philadelphia. Alba found himself on the outside of the Union's penalty area before he picked out Messi with a low cross to grab his 11th assist of the season.
CM: Hany Mukhtar (Nashville SC)
Hany Mukhtar reminded MLS fans just how good he is in a sparkling performance against Atlanta. The attacking midfielder dribbled past would-be defenders all night and drew fouls to relieve the pressure on the Nashville defense. It wasn't long in the second half before the 29-year-old doubled Nashville's lead after a brilliant team move.
CM: Riqui Puig (LA Galaxy)
The Galaxy's comeback against LAFC wouldn't have been possible without Riqui Puig. The star midfielder had the last laugh with a late strike to give the Galaxy some breathing room while also setting up two goals early on in the second half.
CM: Marco Reus (LA Galaxy)
The Borussia Dortmund legend shined again at his new club in his first El Tráfico against Olivier Giroud. Although he didn't get on the scoresheet, he came up huge with two assists to bring his season total to four goal involvements in three appearances since joining on a free transfer this summer.
RW: Lionel Messi (Inter Miami)
Miami strengthened its position in the Supporters' Shield race thanks to a brace and an assist in Messi's return from injury. The three goal involvements for Miami saw Messi increase his regular-season numbers to 14 goals and 14 assists in just 13 appearances.
ST: Luis Suárez (Inter Miami)
While Suárez did grab a late goal in stoppage time to ensure Miami claimed all three points, El Pistolero also set up Messi's first goal early on in the match. The ex-Gremio forward played Messi through on goal with a brilliant short, sweeping pass to help tie the match up in the first half.
LW: Ryan Gauld (Vancouver Whitecaps)
Ryan Gauld continues to put Vancouver Whitecaps on his back in a bid to guide the team to the postseason once again. The Scottish international tallied two assists in Vancouver's 2-0 win over San Jose Earthquakes to register his 11th and 12th assists of the season. Gauld is likely to set a new career-high in assists after matching his career-best over the weekend with several games to go.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as MLS Team of the Week: Matchweek 32.
