Unbeaten in Lionel Messi’s first five games with the team, Inter Miami faced their toughest test yet when they faced Philadelphia Union in the 2023 League Cup semi-finals.
While the Inter Miami teams they’ve faced so far have had some quality, Union have easily been the toughest opposition they’ve faced yet, and yet they’re not promoted. A sensational Messi stunned Inter Miami in a 4-1 win, sending them into the League Cup final and securing a place in next year’s CONCACAF Champions Cup in the process.
Josef Martinez scored after just four minutes to set the tone for another utterly dominant performance from this suddenly charged Inter Miami team. Messi and Alba added two more to make it 3-0 at half-time, and while Alejandro Bedoya’s 75th-minute goal finally lifted the lid on Philadelphia, it wasn’t enough, nine minutes later canceled out by David Ruiz to end the threat. .
Inter Miami will now face either Monterrey or Nashville SC in the final, with the Union relegated to the third-place match against the loser of the other semi-final. The winner of that third-place game will also earn a spot in the CCC, meaning Philadelphia still has a lot to play for.
Inter Miami Player Rating:
GK: Callender – 7.7
RB: Yedlin – 7.9
CB: Kryvtov – 8.1 ( 1 assists)
CB: Miller – 6.45
LB: Alba – 8.2 (1 GOAL)
MF: Arroyo – 7.7
CDM: Busquests – 7.5
MF: Cremaschi – 7.1
LW: Taylor – 7.1 (assists)
CF: Martinez: 8.2 ( 1 Goal & assists)
RW: Messi – 7.9 ( 1 Goals)
