NEW YORK - Lionel Messi scored a goal and set up another on his return from injury as host Inter Miami cruised to a 3-1 Major League Soccer win over LA Galaxy on Saturday.

Inter Miami's Jordi Alba opened the scoring in Fort Lauderdale when he ran onto a sublime through ball from former Barcelona teammate Sergio Busquets before calmly firing a shot that beat goalkeeper Novak Micovic at his near post.

Ghana international winger Joseph Paintsil equalized by dribbling past two defenders before his shot from an acute angle deflected into the net off Oscar Ustari.

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Messi, sidelined since August 2 due to a hamstring injury, replaced Venezuelan midfielder Telasco Segovia at halftime.

The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner showed he hadn't lost his touch as he dribbled around his marker and held off another challenge before lashing a low 20-yard drive into the bottom-left corner.

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He then set up Luis Suarez for Miami's third goal with a sublime backheel flick as the Florida outfit secured its 13th win of the campaign.

"He wants to play every single game," Inter Miami manager Javier Mascherano told reporters after the match. "You have to understand why Leo is Leo, because he always wants to be on the pitch."

The result leaves Inter Miami fifth in the 15-team Eastern Conference with 45 points, seven points behind leaders Cincinnati but with three games in hand. LA Galaxy is last in the Western Conference with three wins from 26 games.