Subaru Park- Inter Miami CF smashed the Philadelphia Union 4-1 on the road to move on to the Leagues Cup Final on Saturday versus Nashville SC. The Herons will play their first Final in team history and secure a spot in the 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup with the win. Josef Martinez, Lionel Messi, Jordi Alba, and David Ruiz scored for Miami while Alejandro Bedoya discounted for Philadelphia.
Kick Off
The Starting XI for Miami remained unchanged from their quarterfinals victory against Charlotte FC on Friday night at Drv Pnk Stadium.
Tata Martino repeats the Starting XI for #InterMiamiCF in this Semifinal match 🆚 #DOOP …Miami faces a talented & tough Philly team on the road…#Messi #MLS #LeaguesCup pic.twitter.com/u3P51XdlWZ
— Xavier Guerrero (@XGLAVOZ) August 15, 2023
Miami was facing what appeared to be their most challenging match to date in the Leagues Cup against Philadelphia at Subaru Park, where the Union had lost only one match in their last twenty-eight games.
The start couldn’t have been better for Josef Martinez and Inter Miami with the Venezuelan forward putting Miami ahead just 3′ minutes into the match. Josef received a long pass from Sergeii Kryvtsov and banged a well-placed shot past goalie Andre Blake for the 1-0 lead.
Great pass over the top of the Philly defense & Josef Martinez bangs the shot into the #DOOP net… 1-0 #InterMiamiCF leads …#MLS #LeagueCup https://t.co/7xwYkUhfyI
— Xavier Guerrero (@XGLAVOZ) August 15, 2023
Philly’s defensive posture on the pitch allowed Miami to control possession, albeit with many Union fouls to slow down the Heron attack. Despite the rough play, Lionel Messi found a way to get on the scoreboard for the sixth straight game for Miami.
Messi received a pass from Josef Martinez near the middle of the pitch, dribbled in a bubble of Philly defenders, and finessed a long-distance kick past Blake into the corner of the Philly net for the 2-0 lead 20′ minutes into the game.
Lionel the Goat 🐐…#Messi puts one in from long distance with pinpoint accuracy!!! #InterMiamiCF lead 2-0 #Doop …#MLS #LeaguesCup2023 https://t.co/GV0I2ODyDh
— Xavier Guerrero (@XGLAVOZ) August 15, 2023
Just when Philly fans thought things couldn’t get any worse, Robert Taylor slipped a gorgeous pass to a charging Jordi Alba who meticulously put the ball past Andre Blake for the 3-0 lead in first-half stoppage time, stunning the Philly faithful.
Jordi Alba scores from a exquisite Robert Taylor pass…Damion Lowe keeps Alba onside & the Spaniard finishes for the 3-0 lead… #InterMiamiCF #MLS #LeaguesCup2023 #Messi https://t.co/UuLIIbqbT4
— Xavier Guerrero (@XGLAVOZ) August 16, 2023
The Union made adjustments to begin the second half, adding a second forward to the attack in Mikael Uhre and bringing on smooth lefty Jack McGlynn. Philadelphia began to dominate the match and created several scoring chances that normally they would convert, but just failed to do so against Miami.
Finally, in the 73′ minute Philly broke through with an Alejandro Bedoya poke into the Miami goal off a corner kick rebound. Philly was down 3-1 but had new life.
Captain's goal. ©️@PhilaUnion pull one back through Ale Bedoya! #LeaguesCup2023 pic.twitter.com/thjtwzSCYR
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) August 16, 2023
The newfound momentum would not last long as David Ruiz swiftly destroyed all hope with a goal in the 84′ minute. Ruiz made a clever run into space and DeAndre Yedlim served a precious pass into the box for David to tap past Blake. That was the dagger, the final score in Philly 4-1 saw Inter Miami CF advance to the first Final in team history.
Yedlin feeds Ruiz the pass for the dagger 🗡️! David Ruiz slips the ball ⚽️ past Blake for the 4-1…This Philly Cheesesteak is cooked perfectly for #InterMiamiCF to enjoy…#MLS #LeaguesCup #Messi https://t.co/joGxQGKsoL
— Xavier Guerrero (@XGLAVOZ) August 16, 2023
Postgame Press Conference
Jordi Alba and Drake Callender talked with the media in the mixed zone after the match. Alba spoke about his impressions of the team thus far,
Since I’ve been here, from what I’ve seen, the attitude, the desire, and the ambition of this team has been tremendous
The arrivals of Messi, Busquets, and Alba have given Miami a giant leap in quality and a giant boost in confidence for a young team. Despite the horrible start to their MLS season, the Herons always had a positive attitude and desire to turn things around during this campaign. Now with three players of enormous quality on the roster and with other strong additions, Miami’s ambitions could possibly be accomplished, starting with a Leagues Cup trophy.
Drake Callender said that the squad was living a fantastic moment after a terrible start to the season,
I think it’s a great moment for the team, for the organization, to be able to get into a position where we can lift a trophy
If Inter Miami is able to defeat Nashville SC for the Leagues Cup Title, it would be a monumental achievement given the fact that just a month ago this squad was considered the worst team in MLS. A month later Miami could be lifting its first-ever trophy, and it would be in an International Tournament. It truly is a great moment for the organization.
Final Thoughts
Inter Miami CF, led by Lionel Messi snapped Philadelphia Union’s twenty-eight-game undefeated streak at Subaru Park. Miami not only stopped the streak, they annihilated it with a 4-1 spanking. This victory cannot be overlooked, Messi and Friends came into a fortress and made it look easy. This is just after six games together as a team, with newly arrived young highly touted reinforcements waiting in the wings. The ceiling is high for this team to continue to do impressive things this season.
What can you say about Lionel Andres Messi Cuccitini that hasn’t already been said? The “Pink Goat” is leading his herd to unchartered territory, taking a last-place team that was playing horribly to new pastures. The transformation has been stunning, with Miami playing like a well-oiled fútbol machine. I know it’s not only Lionel, but everything starts and ends with him.
Miami could hoist its first-ever trophy on Saturday night if they defeat Nashville SC in the Leagues Cup Final. Then, if they win a semifinal match against FC Cincinnati they would be playing in the US Open Cup Final. Theoretically, Miami could hoist two trophies in less than a month.
The biggest challenge ahead is in the MLS regular season, with Inter Miami having to climb from last place in the Eastern Conference to a playoff spot. Miami is twelve points away from ninth place DC United for the final playoff spot with two fewer games played. The task is enormous, but not impossible. If any team can pull it off, it would be Inter Miami CF led by its “Pink Goat”.
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