Lionel Messi scores yet again, leads Inter Miami past Philadelphia Union and into Leagues Cup final

CHESTER, PA — Inter Miami has booked their place in the Leagues Cup final, securing their first Concacaf Champions Cup berth, and will now have a chance at the first trophy in club history following a 4-1 victory over the Philadephia Union on Tuesday at Subaru Park. Lionel Messi scored his ninth goal in only his sixth match with the club, continuing his streak of scoring in every game he has appeared in.

The first half was all Miami, with Josef Martinez opening the scoring only three minutes into the match via an excellent finish from Josef Martinez. Defender Sergii Kryvtsov played a ball over the top that Damion Lowe tried to intercept and missed making stopping Martinez an impossible task for the Union. But while that goal was a breakdown, Messi made something out of nothing as Andre Blake was helpless in the net. Jordi Alba would open his Inter Miami account in style, scoring right before half after dispossessing Nathan Harriel on the wing.

Recognizing that he got the gameplan wrong out the gate by parking the bus to start things, Jim Curtin reverted to a 4-4-2 diamond at the half with Mikael Uhre and Jack McGlynn entering. Still, while the attack was better, Drake Callender was more than formidable enough in the net. The Union would get a goal via Alejandro Bedoya, but the Herons were sure to erase all hope as David Ruiz scored on a counter to ice the game.

Dominant from start to finish, Miami will either host Monterrey at DRV PNK Stadium or travel to Nashville SC for the Leagues Cup final on Saturday. Until a team does it, it’s beginning to feel like no team will be able to stop Messi and Miami from winning at ease, as this was a Philadelphia Union side that has been flying high in the Eastern Conference and also are less than a year removed from playing in an MLS Cup final.

“The margins are very tight in the biggest games, and we got a little bit humbled,” Curtin said after the match. 

When Miami are able to turn five shots into four goals, that shows the ruthlessness that Messi brings to the squad. The Herons are a team full of players with experience, and they won’t have fear in the final, no matter who they face. It’s a sharp contrast with a Union side that has fallen flat in big games during its history. They’ve lost three U.S. Open Cup finals, an MLS Cup, and been knocked out of the Concacaf Champions League, seeming overmatched against the same Los Angeles FC side that took them out of the MLS Cup. Now this latest chapter has seen the Union fall to Miami.

It feels simple to say that if a team needs to compete with Miami, they should get their own Messi, but now the question is turning to how other MLS sides can keep up with Inter Miami. The Herons have faced Atlanta, Dallas, Charlotte, and now Philadelphia sweeping each aside, scoring four goals in three consecutive games.

“One hundred percent, I think the league rules are going to change,” Curtin said when asked how things would change regarding roster structure moving forward.