It was supposed to be the toughest test yet for Lionel Messi and Inter Miami.
And they aced it with flying colors.
Josef Martinez scored three minutes into the match. Messi scored a long goal off his left foot in the 20th minute. Jordi Alba scored just before halftime. And David Ruiz, 19, scored in the 84th minute to lead Inter Miami to a 4-1 win over the Philadelphia Union on Tuesday night in their Leagues Cup semifinal match.
Inter Miami advances to Saturday's Leagues Cup final against Nashville SC.
Inter Miami also qualifies for a berth in the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup – a tournament it has never played in since becoming a team in 2020.
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“We have to be happy and enjoy the moment,” Martinez said of Inter Miami reaching the Leagues Cup final during a postgame interview on Apple TV.
How difficult was this challenge supposed to be for Miami? Philly lost just one match in its last 41 contests on its home pitch at Subaru Park in Chester, Pennsylvania, before Tuesday’s game.
That was before Messi, the World Cup winner from Argentina and seven-time Ballon D’Or winner, and his new MLS team arrived.
The opening goal by Martinez was “preventable and deflating,” Philadelphia Union coach Jim Curtin said. The goal marked the fifth time Inter Miami scored within 15 minutes, and the fourth time they scored inside eight minutes during Leagues Cup play. It also set the tone for a bad night at the office for the Union.
“It was a humbling game,” Curtin said. “They’re really good.”
With one more victory, Inter Miami will be hoisting a Leagues Cup trophy.
“It’s a big chance for us, for the team, for the ball club – the first final,” Martinez said. “We have to fight for that. We’re happy.”
Messi will presumably take the pitch again on Saturday, when Inter Miami plays Nashville SC in the Leagues Cup final.
Inter Miami defeated Philadelphia 4-1 on Tuesday night. Miami's goals came from Josef Martinez (3'), Lionel Messi (20'), Jordi Alba (45' + 3') and David Ruiz (84'). Alejandro Bedoya (73') scored for Philadelphia.
Messi has scored nine goals in six Leagues Cup games, while Inter Miami has scored 21 goals during the tournament – a far cry from their 22 goals scored in 22 MLS games before Messi's arrival.
Inter Miami has won all six games Messi has played, another stark difference from the 5-3-14 (W-D-L) record without Messi that landed them at the bottom of MLS' Eastern Conference.
Inter Miami also signed Messi’s former FC Barcelona teammates in Alba and Sergio Busquets. They signed Paraguayan international Diego Gómez. They added two young Argentine players in 20-year-old midfielder Facundo Farías and 19-year-old defender Tomás Avilés, though the highly-touted pair have yet to take the pitch.
“They're only gonna get better,” Philadelphia Union coach Jim Curtin said of Inter Miami.
“Their ownership is going to spend like crazy and they're going to make them the best team in the league, and they might already be one of the best teams in the league. So yeah, that's coming and I don't think anything is stopping that.”
Inter Miami coach Tata Martino – who coached Messi with FC Barcelona and Argentina – has a different and more modest view of his team’s makeup in the last month.
“We are inspired, motivated and confident. But we are focused on doing everything the team needs to get better,” Martino said after the victory.
“We are not confused because we’re in the final now. No, we’re focused. We want to make Inter a very competitive team. Even though we’re in the final, we have a long way to go. If we didn’t have this result, we’d be complaining. But we haven’t done everything yet. No team can put together a solid team in 30 days or so.”
Messi scored once, in the 20th minute. It was his ninth goal for Inter Miami in six Leagues Cup games.
Nashville SC booked its ticket to the Leagues Cup final Tuesday night with a 2-0 victory over Monterrey of Mexico's Liga Mx.
The crowd at GEODIS Park, which will host Saturday's Leagues Cup final, had a message after the matchup with Inter Miami was secured. "We want Messi," the crowd chanted.
Messi's postgame jersey exchange with countryman Julián Carranza put his back tattoo, reportedly a likeness of his mother, on full display.
CHESTER, Pa. ― Chances are, there usually aren't television news helicopters circling Subaru Park three hours before a typical Philadelphia Union game.
The tailgate lots and pregame festivities aren't usually this packed, either, at least not for a Tuesday night match.
But most matches don't involve Lionel Messi.
"It's once in a lifetime," said Darren Dragish of Downingtown, located 28 miles north of the soccer stadium in the Philly suburb. Dragish left work at 2 p.m. local time to kick a ball around with his kids and fellow fans before the Union's League Cup semifinal match against Inter Miami and one of the greatest soccer players of all time.
The only reason pink No. 10 jerseys weren't the most popular shirt visible leading up to the game was because enough people also wore Messi's Argentina No. 10 jerseys. Or his FC Barcelona No. 10 jerseys. — Dan Rorabaugh, Palm Beach Post
This one may be over in Philadelphia.
David Ruiz scored in the 83rd minute after a pass from De’Andre Yedlin, and Inter Miami is in full control of this one.
Ruiz scored about 10 minutes after entering the game as a substitution.
And the game will enter its final minutes with Inter Miami likely to advance to the Leagues Cup final.
The Philadelphia Union is on the board.
Alejandro Bedoya took advantage of a corner kick in the 73rd minute, two minutes after entering the game, and Philly has trimmed Inter Miami’s lead.
Bedoya capitalized during a hectic second half as Philly missed several opportunities on goal earlier in the half.
Chris Donovan missed two shots on goal for Philadelphia early in the second half.
The first was an open shot as Donovan’s left kick sailed over the net with Inter Miami’s goalkeeper out of position.
The second was a header by Donovan that was defended with a dive from Inter Miami goalkeeper Drake Callender. Philly had some chances, but has not capitalized.
Inter Miami has made its presence felt in Philadelphia.
Jordi Alba, the former FC Barcelona standout who re-joined Messi in Miami, has scored his first goal with his new team just before halftime.
Alba was streaking down the left side after Robert Taylor stole the ball, and took advantage once Philly goalkeeper Andre Blake challenged too far away from the net.
Philly allowed just four goals in five games during the Leagues Cup, but it’s been a different story against Miami.
Messi’s left foot seems to be doing just fine.
Messi sent a wicked strike into the back of the net, to give Inter Miami a 2-0 lead at the 20-minute mark in his second road game in the MLS.
Messi took a pass near midfield from Josef Martinez, who hit the deck hard after a challenge. And Messi's left boot did the rest.
Messi is now up to nine goals in six games. And the Messi Mania continues.
Talk about a quick start.
Josef Martinez scored three minutes into Tuesday’s game, handing Inter Miami an early lead in this game.
Martinez has come on strong since Messi’s arrival, and has scored in two straight games. He received a pass in stride from Serhiy Kryvtsov, and sent the ball into the left side of the net behind Philly goalkeeper Andre Blake.
And for the fourth game since Messi’s arrival, Inter Miami has scored inside the first 10 minutes (Messi scored the previous three times).
Any doubt about Messi's ability to play in Tuesday night's game due to Monday's foot injury was put to rest when the starting lineups were announced before the game.
Messi will start his fifth straight game, and play in his sixth game overall for Inter Miami. Here are the starting lineups for both teams:
The Inter Miami-Philadelphia Union game is scheduled to kick off at 7 p.m. ET. The match can be streamed live on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
Keep an eye on Messi’s left foot, which he injured during Monday’s Inter Miami training session, in this matchup.
Messi was participating in ball drills when his left foot appeared to roll as he stretched to stop a ball while his right foot was planted.
Messi took several steps with a limp, favoring his left foot, before rejoining his teammates during the practice drill.
Inter Miami coach Tata Martino was not concerned about the seriousness of Messi's injury, saying if it was serious, his teammates would have been “freaking out” about it.
“Since everyone was fine, I imagine nothing happened,” said Martino, who coached Messi with FC Barcelona and Argentina.
All odds provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 6:20 p.m. ET.
Keep an eye on Philadelphia Union forward Chris Donovan. He's the reason the MLS team beat Liga MX side Querétaro on Friday to advance to the Leagues Cup semifinals. Take a look at his stoppage-time game-winner that gave the Union a 2-1 victory.
Messi has been on a tear, providing highlight plays with eight goals scored in five games.
Messi has three braces, or games in which he scored two goals, in five games.
Messi has also scored quickly during his first three starts – scoring in the eighth, seventh and sixth minutes, respectively.
Messi scored a game-winning free kick off the bench in his debut against Liga MX team Cruz Azul on July 21.
Messi helped Inter Miami storm back with a game-tying goal against FC Dallas, taking a 4-4 tie into penalty kicks, which his side won 5-3 on Aug. 6.
Philadelphia Union vs. Inter Miami CF at Subaru Park in Chester, Pennsylvania, 7 p.m. ET
Nashville SC vs. CF Monterrey at GEODIS Park in Nashville, Tennessee, 9:30 p.m. ET (UniMás)
The final and third place game will be played on Saturday, times TBD.
Lionel Messi is a massive global icon and among the world's greatest athletes of all time. But he's also usually among the smallest players on the field. Messi stands 5 feet, 7 inches tall, according to his bio on Inter Miami's website. That certainly doesn't stop him from outplaying the rest.
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