Tag: inter miami

Lionel Messi: Big USMNT fan

Sadly, Messi is not eligible to make the switch from Argentina to the USMNT

Lionel Messi has been paying attention to the national team of the country he now calls home — and he likes what he sees.

The Inter Miami star said he has been impressed with the U.S. men’s national team’s recent performances, particularly in the 2022 World Cup.

The USMNT went unbeaten in its group, drawing Wales and England before clinching a spot in the knockout round with a win over Iran. The team’s World Cup came to an end with a 3-1 defeat to the Netherlands in the last 16.

Messi, whose own World Cup went slightly better than the USMNT’s, said in an interview with ESPN that his new country’s national team and league is growing in quality.

“I think that soccer in the U.S. has grown a lot in this last year,” Messi said. “It has shown that in the results the national team has had lately. It was a great squad in the World Cup, too. Very competitive. It held its own against every team it had on its slate. It’s getting closer and closer to the level of Mexican soccer.”

Messi has led Inter Miami to the Leagues Cup final on Saturday at Nashville SC, scoring nine goals in just six matches to help completely revitalize his new team.

The 36-year-old said the tournament has been highly competitive, which is what he’s expecting when he plays his first MLS matches as well.

“This Leagues Cup demonstrated that [MLS is getting closer to Liga MX],” he said. “There is no Mexican team in the final. While you can question a lot of things, the reality is all the matches were very close, very competitive. Anybody can beat anyone else. I get the sense that the same happens in [MLS]. It’s a competitive one where anybody can win. One where the home team is strong, and it’s difficult to win away. I’ll still be getting to know a little bit of that after my first match.”

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Messi shrugs off MLS artificial turf concerns: ‘I don’t have a problem with it’

Messi has no worries about playing on plastic

Lionel Messi is ready for anything MLS throws his way.

Messi has already shown that any skepticism about his engagement levels or ability to succeed with fewer world-class teammates was misplaced, as he has helped turn a woeful Inter Miami side into the favorite to win the Leagues Cup seemingly overnight.

The on-field side is working for him, but what about, literally speaking, the field?

Most MLS sides play on natural grass, but just over one-fifth of the league’s teams have some form of artificial turf, a surface Messi has not had to deal with in La Liga, Ligue 1, or with Argentina during international matches.

It has been speculated in some corners that Messi might take issue with that. Would he play on plastic? Would he do so, but then go public with complaints about the issue, as other global superstars have done upon coming to the league?

It turns out, not so much. With the Leagues Cup final looming, Messi addressed media for the first time since joining Inter Miami, telling a press conference on Thursday that playing on artificial turf just isn’t a big deal to him.

“I did all of my youth career on artificial turf,” a relaxed Messi told reporters. “It’s been a long time since I played on turf, but I don’t have a problem with it.”

Messi spent that youth career at Newell’s Old Boys in his native Argentina (1995-2000), and at Barcelona’s famed “La Masia” academy from 2000-03.

MLS turf worries might have been misplaced

In July MLS commissioner Don Garber said that while he will leave playing surface questions to individual clubs, he hoped teams hosting Inter Miami would shell out for a temporary grass surface.

While the Leagues Cup final will take place on the natural Bermuda grass playing surface at Nashville SC’s Geodis Park, Messi and Miami have at least two matches that as of now will be played on artificial turf: away games against Atlanta United (September 16) and Charlotte FC (October 21).

Given Miami’s place in the MLS standings, a borderline miraculous run to a playoff spot will almost certainly require a win from one or both of those games. The match against Charlotte, which will fall on MLS’s “Decision Day” slate of regular-season finales, seems particularly important.

The Athletic previously reported that as of last month, Atlanta and Charlotte had no plans to bring in a grass surface when Miami comes to town. Given Messi’s sanguine response, it seems like those clubs will be under little to no pressure to meet Garber’s polite request.

Big-name stars coming to MLS have previously been less than enthusiastic about playing on turf. Thierry Henry spent four-and-a-half years with the New York Red Bulls, and suited up for just three of a possible 16 matches on an artificial surface (one of which was a playoff game).

However, given the casual nature that Messi used to brush off the issue, it seems at this point like a plastic pitch — much like defenders from MLS and Liga MX thus far in Miami’s run through the Leagues Cup — simply won’t be a problem.

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Argentina coach Scaloni defends MLS quality as Messi keeps dominating

Messi has nine goals in just six games with Inter Miami thus far

Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni has defended the level of Major League Soccer amid Lionel Messi’s red-hot start to life in North America.

Messi has scored an incredible nine goals in just six Leagues Cup games since making his Inter Miami debut last month. His latest strike on Tuesday helped Miami to a shockingly easy 4-1 win over Philadelphia in the semifinal.

The ease with which Messi and his longtime Barcelona teammates Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba have settled in has led to some derision over the perceived level of MLS.

But Scaloni, who coached Messi and co. to a World Cup win in 2022, has said he doesn’t think the league is low quality.

“I don’t think the level is bad,” Scaloni said at a press conference in Miami on Tuesday.

“On the contrary, I was at Inter Miami’s game versus Charlotte (FC) and I didn’t think it was bad. In fact the level was acceptable. Every football match is difficult. You have to play them. There’s no doubt that (MLS) is a league that’s trending up. It’s improving and it’s attracting footballers to come and play here. It’s a country that’s also attractive. But I can see the challenges that MLS presents and I’ve seen good teams here.

“I know that this league is going to continue to improve. There are some very good players here and even better players will make their way here.”

Scaloni was speaking at an event to mark the Argentina Football Federation’s planned expansion into North America, with a large training complex near Miami serving as the centerpiece.

The coach said that having a home base in North America would be crucial ahead of the 2024 Copa América and 2026 World Cup, an event he is still hopeful Messi will play in despite having said multiple times that 2022 would be his last World Cup.

“In principle it is enough that he plays football and is happy,” Scaloni said of Messi. “For us it is already a step forward. And because of how he is, with his competitive DNA, wherever he is, he is always going to compete. So let’s hope he can be at the next World Cup. I won’t be the one to say no, have no doubt about that.”

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Leagues Cup final: Messi, Inter Miami will face Nashville SC

A wild Leagues Cup will conclude in Nashville

The teams that qualified for the Leagues Cup final will be happy to be in the running for a big bonus and a spot in next year’s CONCACAF Champions Cup.

They probably won’t be as delighted as executives from MLS and Apple TV, who already have Lionel Messi vying for a trophy on their platforms.

Messi and Inter Miami will square off with Nashville SC in the 2023 Leagues Cup final. The match is scheduled for 9:00 p.m. ET Saturday, August 19 at the latter’s home, Geodis Park.

The winner, apart from claiming a $2 million cash prize, will also get a bye into the round of 16 in the 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup.

Different paths for Miami, Nashville to final

Miami earned their spot by more or less running over anyone in their path. A series of very early goals and Messi wizardry has resulted in the Herons reeling off five wins out of six. Even FC Dallas pushing Miami into a penalty kick shootout required a preposterous 4-4 draw, and that knockout game still ended with Messi and co. moving on.

Cruz Azul lost in dramatic fashion, Orlando City came up short in a fractious match, and Dallas went out in the tiebreaker. In Tuesday’s semifinal, the Philadelphia Union joined Atlanta United and Charlotte FC in getting lit up by Messi and Miami. The same team that has 22 goals in 22 MLS regular season games has scored 21 in just six Leagues Cup matches. Despite being on the road for the final, the Herons are surely the favorites.

Nashville’s path has been far more circuitous. The Tennesseans lost to Toluca in the group stage, and had to get help from the Liga MX side to guarantee a place in the knockout stage.

From there, it didn’t get easier. Nashville’s path included the Supporters’ Shield leaders FC Cincinnati (who they eliminated on penalties after a 1-1 draw), followed by Liga MX titans Club América. Once again, Nashville advanced, but only by surviving one of the most bizarre games in recent memory.

Finally, things got a little bit easier, as Gary Smith’s club clobbered Minnesota United 5-0, but all that did was set a date against a giant in CF Monterrey. Late on Tuesday, Nashville showed major nerve in a 2-0 win over one of the region’s elite teams.

Fans at Geodis Park finished that match chanting “we want Messi!” and now, they’ll get exactly what they hoped for.

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Messi, Inter Miami through to Leagues Cup final after crushing Philadelphia Union

Can anyone stop Messi and Miami?

It may have been sunny in Philadelphia, but only for Lionel Messi and Inter Miami.

For the fourth time in six games since Messi’s arrival, Miami scored four goals in a match, this time thrashing the Philadelphia Union 4-1 and securing a spot in the Leagues Cup final.

The semifinal continued a trend Miami enjoyed in the quarterfinals. Namely, Messi drew so much attention that his teammates had acres of space to essentially do whatever they wanted. In soccer, it is generally seen as bad when your opponent has this luxury.

With Union head coach Jim Curtin telling Apple TV pre-game that he would use potent scorer Dániel Gazdag to mark Sergio Busquets and require another player to pick Messi up at all times, Miami’s other nine players had the run of Subaru Park.

It took all of three minutes for that to result in a goal, after Sergii Kryvtsov sized up a long ball that caught the Union’s Damion Lowe out. From there, Josef Martínez raced away before placing a finish beyond Andre Blake.

The game had barely started, and Miami had yet another early lead.

Drake Callender denied Gazdag on a golden chance for Philadelphia to get level. It was a big moment, because Messi did what Messi does shortly thereafter.

Miami tried to break forward after catching the Union pushing up, with Lowe crashing into Martínez. However, the Jamaica defender didn’t arrive before Martínez’s pass found Messi, and from long range the Barcelona legend produced a surgical shot into the bottom corner.

The Union finally stabilized through some physical play and staying connected in an unusual 5-4-1 diamond set-up, but the damage seemed to be done. The job appeared to be to survive until halftime and then dramatically change the gameplan in pursuit of a huge comeback.

So, about that.

Robert Taylor held possession for a long spell with no one from the Union quite sure who should step to him, allowing Jordi Alba to make a run from deep.

With Lowe holding the Spain legend onside, Taylor’s pass just needed a finish, and Alba got himself a first goal since joining Miami this summer. It was that easy.

A much-improved Union made subs to push for the early goal needed to have any shot at a miraculous recovery, but quarterfinal hero Chris Donovan fired over an empty net in the 56th minute. Jakob Glesnes did the same a few minutes later after Mikael Uhre’s flick-on found him. It simply was not Philadelphia’s night.

Miami’s star-studded team has never particularly looked comfortable having to defend — Messi is rather famously not a defender — and all that pressure finally paid off. Alejandro Bedoya, just moments after stepping into the fray, punched home a loose ball following a set piece, finally injecting some drama into the match.

It was fun while it lasted. With Philadelphia leaving numbers forward, Miami pounced: Messi fed DeAndre Yedlin on the break, and the U.S. men’s national team veteran fed youngster David Ruíz to shut the game down as a contest.

Miami’s emphatic win, beyond giving the club a shot at a first-ever trophy later this week, has locked in a place in the 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup, as both finalists and the third-place winner in the Leagues Cup will be in the region’s premier club championship next year.

With the way things are going, this run seems set to carry on for some time.

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Messi facing injury questions ahead of Leagues Cup clash at Philadelphia

Inter Miami may be sweating on the fitness of its superstar

Inter Miami may be sweating on the fitness of Lionel Messi ahead of Tuesday night’s Leagues Cup semifinal against the Philadelphia Union.

The Argentina superstar appeared to pick up a minor injury during training on Monday, though head coach Tata Martino was quick to play down any concerns over his side’s superstar.

“I was only at a part of the session because I had a meeting afterwards and was finishing preparing, so I didn’t see exactly what happened. But if it was something serious, I’m sure everyone would have been shocked,” Martino said at a press conference. “Since everyone was fine, I imagine nothing happened.”

ESPN Argentina captured the moment that Messi appeared to tweak his ankle.

Messi did at least manage to make the journey to Pennsylvania, where Inter Miami will aim to continue its perfect start to life with the Argentine star at Subaru Park in Chester on Tuesday.

Inter has won all five of its matches since Messi’s arrival, including a shootout win at FC Dallas in the Leagues Cup round of 16.

Messi has hit the ground running since his move to south Florida, scoring eight goals in just five matches. His latest strike came at the end of an easy 4-0 win over Charlotte FC in the quarterfinal.

The Union promise to be one of Inter Miami’s toughest tests in the Leagues Cup, with last season’s MLS Cup runners-up currently sitting third in the MLS Eastern Conference standings.

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How to watch Inter Miami vs. Philadelphia: Messi’s Leagues Cup semifinal TV and streaming info

Messi and Miami face Philadelphia with a berth in the Leagues Cup final on the line

The Inter Miami train continues to roll through the 2023 Leagues Cup with conductor Lionel Messi leading the way.

Now for potentially the toughest test to date: Philadelphia.

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Miami has reached the semifinal round of the cup competition following a 4-0 rout of Charlotte FC. Messi, along with teammates once again Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets, have settled in well in south Florida. But now they travel to face the Eastern Conference’s third-place side in the Union.

Philly has survived and advanced throughout the knockout stages. Two of their past three games took penalties to decide things as the 2022 Eastern Conference winners have proved they will fight tooth and nail to get results.

Here is everything you need to know to catch all the Leagues Cup action:

Inter Miami vs. Philadelphia Union (Leagues Cup)

  • When: Tuesday, August 15
  • Where: Subaru Park (Chester, PA)
  • Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
  • Channel/streaming: Apple TV (Watch now)

Leagues Cup Starting Lineups

Philadelphia Union possible lineup:
Blake, Glesnes, Elliott, Lowe, Martinez, Mbaizo, Wagner, Bueno, McGlynn, Carranza, Uhre

Inter Miami possible lineup:
Callender, Yedlin, Miller, Kryvtsov, Alba, Arroyo, Busquets, Cremaschi, Messi, Martinez, Taylor

Leagues Cup Odds and betting lines

MLS odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook. Odds were last updated Monday 3:16 p.m.

Philadelphia Union (+170) vs. Inter Miami (+115)

Draw: (+270)

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Apple TV announces Messi docuseries — no not that one, a different one

The Argentina legend has had such a big year, it couldn’t all fit into one docuseries

Lionel Messi has had such a monumental year that Apple has decided it’s worth not one, but two separate documentary series.

Back in June, Apple TV+ announced it was developing a four-part documentary series on Messi’s journey to World Cup glory with Argentina at the end of 2022.

Just days later, Messi announced his intention to join Inter Miami. Which brings us to documentary series number two.

On Sunday, Apple TV+ announced another Messi docuseries — this one a six-parter — that will be released at a date to be announced.

According to an Apple press release, “the series chronicles Leo’s immersion in America, the remarkable journey and transformation of Inter Miami CF, and most significantly, the impact he is currently having on soccer in North America as ‘Messi Mania’ crisscrosses the continent.”

The series, much like the first, promises to feature exclusive, behind-the-scenes access to Messi and those in his inner circle.

Many of the same names behind docuseries number one will also be making the second show: It will be executive produced by Emmy winner Tim Pastore (“Free Solo,” “Jane”), Emmy and Tony winners Patrick Milling Smith and Brian Carmody, and Emmy winner Matt Renner (“Free Solo,” “Limitless with Chris Hemsworth”) of Smuggler Entertainment.

Messi’s introduction to life in North America has been going swimmingly, as the Argentina star has scored eight goals in just five Leagues Cup matches. Inter Miami has reached the semifinal of the competition, which will come against the Philadelphia Union on Tuesday.

Messi and Apple are becoming ever more intertwined in a relationship that appears to be paying off for both parties. As part of his Inter Miami deal, the Argentine legend was reportedly given a cut of profits from Apple’s MLS Season Pass subscriptions. Last week, Inter Miami owner Jorge Mas said those subscribers have more than doubled just since Messi joined Inter Miami.

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Messi barely had to run as Inter Miami smashed Charlotte FC in Leagues Cup

Messi’s not even having to try very hard at this point

Inter Miami’s move to add Lionel Messi is going so well, the Argentine icon barely even has to run for them to win.

Miami made light work of a Leagues Cup quarterfinal against Charlotte FC, winning 4-0 in a game where Messi was able to more or less just hang out. One of his rare runs resulted in yet another goal, but for large spells Messi…let’s say he was conserving his legs for future matches.

Why run if you don’t have to, right? The guy has done plenty of work drawing Apple TV subscribers, he’s earned an easy day at the office. The visitors poured everything into preventing easy passes to Messi, but unfortunately for Charlotte, Miami had 10 other players who had plenty of room to keep the good times rolling at DRV PNK Stadium.

Miami has scored early in every match the legend has started, and sure enough, it was just 12 minutes before Josef Martínez fired home a penalty kick. Messi wasn’t directly involved — Miami’s Dixon Arroyo got chopped down after Charlotte struggled to clear for a long spell — but the entire sequence began with Messi dropping deep to find Jordi Alba’s penetrating run.

Robert Taylor doubled the lead in the 32nd minute, and again Messi just had to generally be in the area rather than getting truly involved. His run did distract Charlotte enough to give DeAndre Yedlin a big opening to roll the ball to Taylor for an easy finish, but Charlotte’s willingness to go all-in on cutting Messi out of the game seemed to backfire as the rest of Miami’s players were given acres of space.

With Charlotte bringing some attackers on and opening up a bit, Messi occasionally got himself into the mix, eventually helping to compound Charlotte’s misery in the 78th minute.

Seconds after Patrick Agyemang bounced a header down and up over the bar at one end, Messi finally had room to operate between the lines. He pushed forward, drawing defenders before slipping Diego Gómez wide left, and the Miami newcomer’s low cross was diverted over the line by the unfortunate Adilson Malanda.

Finally, Messi got himself a goal that required a little bit of a jog. Having noticed that the visitors had absolutely nothing left to give, Messi trotted forward after his attempt to play Leo Campana through didn’t quite pan out.

Charlotte just stood by and watched Campana go recover the ball after their intervention, and the Ecuador striker fed Messi — somehow once again unmarked despite being, you know, Messi — to send Miami fans home with one more goal.

That casual finish made Messi the competition’s leading scorer, with eight in five games, and has the Herons within sight of a trophy that seemed completely impossible just a few weeks ago.

In the semifinal against the Philadelphia Union on Tuesday night, he might even have to sprint a few times.

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Inter Miami owner: Messi arrival has doubled MLS subscribers on Apple TV

Messi seems to be having the desired affect, both on and off the field

Lionel Messi appears to be having the desired impact for MLS, both on and off the pitch.

Messi has only played four games with Inter Miami since his arrival last month, but has already scored seven goals as the Florida side has reached the Leagues Cup quarterfinal.

Off the field, Messi looks to be having a similarly profound impact for the league’s bottom line.

Inter Miami owner Jorge Mas posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, claiming that subscribers to MLS Season Pass on Apple TV have more than doubled just since Messi joined Inter Miami.

With Season Pass launching in February and Messi only joining in July, that would represent a significant jump.

Additionally, Mas said that more than half of the viewers for Messi’s matches have watched in Spanish.

The league has not publicized many details of its Apple deal this season, choosing to not release subscriber figures or details on viewers for individual matches.

Last month, Sports Business Journal reported that MLS Season Pass is “approaching 1 million subscribers, a number that includes season-ticket holders who are provided access as part of their purchase.”

At Apple’s quarterly earnings call this month, CEO Tim Cook said: “We are excited about our MLS partnership, and we’re thrilled to see Messi suiting up with Inter Miami.

“It’s clearly in the early days, but we are beating our expectations in terms of subscribers, and the fact that Messi went to Inter Miami helped us out there a bit – and so we’re very excited about it.”

The comments by Cook and Mas are the closest Apple or MLS has come to actually sharing subscriber details for Season Pass, which, starting this year, has the exclusive worldwide streaming rights for every MLS and Leagues Cup match.

MLS and Apple announced a landmark media rights agreement last summer in a deal worth $2.5 billion over 10 years.

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