Lionel Messi has had a storybook debut for Inter Miami CF.
After coming on the field as a second-half sub in his first game for Miami, Messi buried a free kick for the winning goal in stoppage time in the Leagues Cup opener against Liga MX's Cruz Azul. Four days later, Messi scored two goals as Miami trounced Atlanta United 4-0.
Those performances helped Miami win its Leagues Cup group and advance to the knockout rounds of the 47-team tournament.
Messi Mania marches on Wednesday night, when Inter Miami hosts Orlando City SC in a Leagues Cup Round of 32 game at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
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Here's everything you need to know about Messi in the Leagues Cup:
Messi and Inter Miami play against Orlando City in a Leagues Cup knockout game on Wednesday, Aug. 2 at 8 p.m. ET. The winner will face either FC Dallas or Mazatlán in the Round of 16 (to be played Aug. 6-8).
If Inter Miami is bounced from the Leagues Cup, it will have an extended break until the MLS regular season resumes on Aug. 20.
The Inter Miami-Orlando City game can be streamed live on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
Orlando City is in its ninth season in Major League Soccer. The Lions have made three playoff appearances (2020-22) and collected their first trophy in last year's U.S. Open Cup. The team currently sits in fifth place in the Eastern Conference.
The team has its own in-form goal-scorer in Duncan McGuire, who netted two goals in Leagues Cup play. McGuire — the sixth overall selection in the 2023 MLS SuperDraft out of Creighton — has eight goals and two assists in 19 games played (nine starts). Facundo Torres is dynamic on the wings and will ask questions of the Miami defense. Looking to keep Messi from scoring goals will be Pedro Gallese, a Peru national team player who is one of the league's top goalkeepers.
In the Leagues Cup, Orlando City produced a dramatic moment of its own in a 3-2 win over Liga MX's Santos Laguna.
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Thursday
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All Leagues Cup matches will be streamed live on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
Round of 16 (Aug. 6-8)
Quarterfinals (Aug. 11-12)
Semifinals (Aug. 16)
Third-place game (Aug. 19)
Final (Aug. 19)
With the exception of the U.S. Open Cup semifinal game on Aug. 23 (which will be available to stream on the CBS Sports Golazo Network), all other Inter Miami games are available to watch on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
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