In his seventh game with new club Inter Miami, Lionel Messi is on the verge of winning his first trophy with the American club, less than a month after his first game in the United States.
Inter Miami are going to the Leagues Cup final đź’Ş
— B/R Football (@brfootball) August 16, 2023
Messi can win his first trophy in his seventh game at the club 🏆 pic.twitter.com/7Rupfdctoj
Inter Miami picked up a huge 4-1 victory over the Philadelphia Union in the semifinal of the Leagues Cup tournament on Tuesday night at Subaru Park in Chester, Pennsylvania.
The Philadelphia Union is one of the best teams in the MLS, and they are currently sitting in third place in the Eastern Conference standings of the league, while Inter Miami is dead last.
However, the men in pink shirts made it look easy against Philadelphia, only needing three minutes to score via a strike by Venezuelan forward Josef Martinez.
Messi scored an incredible goal for 35 yards out for Inter Miami's second goal of the evening during the 20th minute, to the delight of the fans in Pennsylvania who came out to see him.
The left-footed long-distance strike was the former FC Barcelona and PSG forward's ninth goal for his new club in six games. The World Cup winner has scored in all his Inter Miami appearances so far.
Meanwhile, star left-back signing and former FC Barcelona defender Jordi Alba opened his scoring account for the club, tripling the lead just before the halftime whistle sounded with a left-footed shot off a counterattack. It was the first time in over three years that Alba and Messi scored in the same match.
The match's second half was less eventful, with the Philadelphia Union striking back to get a goal in the 73rd minute through American midfielder Alejandro Bedoya.
19-year-old David Ruiz put the finishing touches for Inter Miami by scoring the team's fourth goal of the night in the 84th minute to secure their berth in the tournament's final.
Messi notably defended his teammate, club academy graduate Noah Allen, after Philadelphia defender José Andres Martínez dirtily tackled him during the match.
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Lionel Messi is set to break another record if he wins the next game
Inter Miami will advance to the Leagues Cup championship game on Saturday against Nashville SC at the 30,000-seater Geodis Park in Nashville, Tennessee.
The Argentine icon has a chance to make history once again by breaking a tie with former Barcelona teammate Dani Alves to become the lone most decorated player in the history of the sport, with 44 trophies won in his professional career for FC Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, and the Argentina national football team.
By making the final, Inter Miami has secured a spot in the 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup, which is the North America, Central America, and the Caribbean regions' equivalent of the UEFA Champions League.
Nashville SC is currently sitting in fourth place in the standings of the Eastern Conference in the MLS, just below the Philadelphia Union.
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