FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) – Lionel Messi will be playing for another trophy. Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets are also clearly not ready to retire.
Tadeo Allende scored three goals — Aruba and BusquetsTwo of Messi’s longtime teammates, who will retire at the end of this season, had the first two assists as Inter Miami defeated New York City FC 5-1 on Saturday night to clinch the Eastern Conference title and a berth in the MLS Cup final.
Inter Miami scored in the 67th minute through Matteo Silvetti, who was set up by Messi. This was his 405th career assist for club and country, generally considered the most in soccer history. In the 83rd minute, Telasco Segovia converted Alba’s heel pass to give the team the lead, and Allende completed his hat trick in the 89th minute to score the winning goal.
“We reached the final with a brotherly bond of moving forward,” said Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano. “With the strength of one group, we can overcome many things.”
Tennis star Carlos Alcaraz brought the East trophy onto the field to present to Inter Miami’s owner before handing it over to Messi. Fireworks, confetti and lots of happy photos and hugs followed, but it was also clear that this was not the trophy Inter Miami most wanted.
“We had a great playoff run and deserved to be in the final,” Silvetti said in Spanish.
Inter Miami, the third seed in the East, will play Vancouver on December 6th at 2:30pm ET for the league championship. Vancouver defeated San Diego 3-1 late Saturday night to win the Western Conference title.
This will be Inter Miami’s first appearance in the MLS finals, having never made it past the opening postseason round in their first five seasons. Messi’s club is 0-2 against Vancouver this season, losing in the CONCACAF Champions Cup semifinals by a combined score of 5-1.
Justin Haak scored a goal in the 37th minute for NYCFC, which is 0-2-1 against Inter Miami this season.
Inter Miami, who won the League Cup in 2023 and won the Supporters’ Shield last year as MLS’ top regular season team, moved one step closer to another trophy with this win. Messi, a World Cup winner with Argentina and current eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, joined the team midway through the 2023 season when they were at the bottom of the MLS standings and had gone 11 games without a win.
now? The club’s brand is global, with Messi’s number 10 shirt in the club’s pink kit sold all over the world. New stadium near Miami International Airport We are preparing for the next season, Messi has a contract until 2028 He is certain to win his second consecutive MLS MVP award and the team is on the brink of an MLS title.
Star players flock to see this team because of Messi. Alcaraz Several members of the U.S. women’s national team were also there Saturday night.
“Everyone in the world knows Lionel Messi. … I think everyone expected him to come here and do exactly what he’s done,” said Lindsey Horan, a U.S. women’s forward who has been a fan of Messi for years.
Messi was hit on the left side of his head in the 9th minute and was shaken for a moment, lying on the ground near the center circle for several seconds before finally getting back to his feet. About two minutes later, Inter Miami’s attack stumbled and took a direct kick into the box from about 30 yards out, but Silvetti’s header was easily caught by NYCFC goalkeeper Matt Freese.
Inter Miami’s next chance came a minute later. This was a perfect move, as Allende controlled a long pass from Busquets and easily beat Freeze from about 12 yards out, giving the team a 1-0 lead.
In the 23rd minute, Allende scored a header from Alba’s long pass to make it 2-0. And after Messi put Silvetti up 3-1, the countdown to what was essentially a 25-minute celebration began.
“This is a very satisfying result, but the work continues,” Allende said in Spanish. “There’s still more work to do, but I’m happy with what we’ve accomplished.”
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