عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Sports

Messi Magic Lifts Inter Miami to Leagues Cup Title

Teammates hold up Inter Miami's Argentine forward #10 Lionel Messi as they celebrate after winning the Leagues Cup final football match against Nashville SC at Geodis Park in Nashville, Tennessee, on August 19, 2023. (AFP)
Teammates hold up Inter Miami's Argentine forward #10 Lionel Messi as they celebrate after winning the Leagues Cup final football match against Nashville SC at Geodis Park in Nashville, Tennessee, on August 19, 2023. (AFP)
TT
TT

Messi Magic Lifts Inter Miami to Leagues Cup Title

Teammates hold up Inter Miami's Argentine forward #10 Lionel Messi as they celebrate after winning the Leagues Cup final football match against Nashville SC at Geodis Park in Nashville, Tennessee, on August 19, 2023. (AFP)
Teammates hold up Inter Miami's Argentine forward #10 Lionel Messi as they celebrate after winning the Leagues Cup final football match against Nashville SC at Geodis Park in Nashville, Tennessee, on August 19, 2023. (AFP)

Inter Miami beat Nashville SC in a thrilling Leagues Cup final on Saturday after a 1-1 tie was settled by a marathon 10-9 penalty shootout as Lionel Messi extended his winning streak with the MLS side to seven games.

Messi opened the scoring in the 23th minute, notching his 10th goal since joining the team with a blistering shot from distance past multiple defenders and into the top left corner of the net.

Nashville's Fafa Picault leveled for the home team in the 57th minute and both teams came agonizingly close to taking the lead in the rollercoaster second half.

In the shootout, Nashville goalkeeper Elliot Panicco missed the final kick of the night to deliver Inter Miami, who joined the league in 2020, their first trophy.

Messi's overjoyed teammates lifted the Argentine in the air as ecstatic Miami co-owner David Beckham raised his arms above his head in triumph.

Most Viewed

 
 
Sports

Messi, Inter Miami Finish with Best Record in MLS History

Inter Miami's Argentine forward #10 Lionel Messi controls the ball during the Major League Soccer (MLS) football match between Inter Miami and New England Revolution at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, October 19, 2024. (Photo by Chris Arjoon / AFP)
Inter Miami's Argentine forward #10 Lionel Messi controls the ball during the Major League Soccer (MLS) football match between Inter Miami and New England Revolution at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, October 19, 2024. (Photo by Chris Arjoon / AFP)
TT
TT

Messi, Inter Miami Finish with Best Record in MLS History

Inter Miami's Argentine forward #10 Lionel Messi controls the ball during the Major League Soccer (MLS) football match between Inter Miami and New England Revolution at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, October 19, 2024. (Photo by Chris Arjoon / AFP)
Inter Miami's Argentine forward #10 Lionel Messi controls the ball during the Major League Soccer (MLS) football match between Inter Miami and New England Revolution at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, October 19, 2024. (Photo by Chris Arjoon / AFP)

Lionel Messi checked into the match early in the second half, the score tied and Inter Miami's chances at breaking a pair of Major League Soccer regular-season records very much uncertain.
In that instant, it all changed.
Messi had three goals — his first MLS hat trick — and an assist in the span of about 30 minutes, Luis Suarez scored twice and Inter Miami rolled past New England 6-2 on Saturday night to set MLS records for most points and best winning percentage, The Associated Press reported. Inter Miami finished with 74 points, one more than New England had in its record-setting season in 2021.
Best player ever. Best MLS record ever. A perfect match.
“This night is yours,” Inter Miami primary owner Jorge Mas said after the match, as the team celebrated the Supporters' Shield — which it won earlier this month on the road at Columbus — in a ceremony for the home fans. “The best fans on the face of the Earth.”
The party was going to happen either way. Messi just made it even more special.
At 22-4-8 in league play, Inter Miami finished the season with a .765 winning percentage for another MLS record. Four teams — D.C. United (24-8) and the LA Galaxy (24-8) in 1998, LAFC (21-4-9) in 2019 and New England (22-5-7) in 2021 — had finished an MLS season with a .750 winning percentage, which was the best until Saturday night.
Now, the top spot is Inter Miami’s by any measure, both in terms of points and best won-lost-tied mark. Inter Miami also became the eighth team in MLS history to get through a regular season with only four losses, tying another record.
“Our players are what has made this season successful,” Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham said. “Our captain has led us. Our players have led us in times where it was difficult. But now, tonight we celebrate. Tomorrow, we prepare for Friday, the playoffs.”
Suarez and Messi finished with 20 goals apiece, the first MLS teammates to reach that milestone in the same season. It was Messi's first hat trick for Inter Miami, the team the Argentine superstar joined midway through the 2023 season in a huge victory for MLS.
If all that wasn't enough, FIFA President Gianni Infantino said after the match that Inter Miami — as has been generally expected — would be in the Club World Cup next summer as the host country representative. The tournament starts June 15, 2025 in Miami Gardens, and Inter Miami will play the first match.
Messi finished the regular season with 20 goals and 16 assists in 19 matches. Suarez got to 20 goals in his first MLS season, his two goals Saturday — coming about three minutes apart — helping Inter Miami erase an early 2-0 deficit.
Luca Langoni and Dylan Borrero had the goals for New England. The rest of the match was all Miami.
Suarez's brace pulled the hosts into a tie by halftime and Benja Cremaschi scored the go-ahead goal in the 58th minute. Messi had an assist on Cremaschi’s goal, one that came just seconds after the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner subbed into the match.
There had been some question about whether Messi would play at all, especially since Inter Miami had already wrapped up the Supporters' Shield and No. 1 seed in the MLS Cup playoffs. All that was at stake for Inter Miami on Saturday was the record.
And there was a scare in the 74th minute when Messi was fouled, yelled in pain and grabbed at his right ankle as he was on the ground. He’s missed 15 of Inter Miami’s MLS matches in 2024, either because of commitments to Argentina’s national team or the two-month absence that he needed to recover from a badly injured ankle — an injury that happened during his nation’s run to the Copa America title in July.
It was just a scare.
Messi scored about two minutes apart in the second half, turning a 3-2 lead into a 5-2 rout and it was only a matter of time before the record would belong to Inter Miami. And the capper came in the 89th minute, Suarez flipping the ball to Messi for an easy score to complete the hat trick.
Next up for Inter Miami: Game 1 of a best-of-three first-round series, at home Friday night against either CF Montreal or Atlanta United, who will play in a wild-card match on Tuesday night. It will be the first home playoff match in Inter Miami history.
“Onto the playoffs,” Beckham said, “and we'll be ready.”