Lionel Messi has won just about everything there is to win in soccer but said on Thursday that bringing Inter Miami their first ever trophy would be "incredible" and "a beautiful thing".
Languishing at the bottom of Major League Soccer's Eastern Conference standings there had been nothing pretty about Inter Miami's season until Messi's arrival in South Florida last month.
But now things could not look any brighter.
The best defender in Major League Soccer isn’t one of the players, it’s the Lionel Messi bodyguard. If you want to see some of the best defense in your life, then you got to see this guy in action.
Messi is the biggest and most famous athlete playing in the United States and has already had a massive impact on MLS numbers and ticket prices. Inter Miami wisely hired a personal bodyguard for Messi.
Inter Miami, the worst team in the MLS standings, put on another dominant Leagues Cup performance on Tuesday with Lionel Messi scoring again as the Herons secured a 4-1 victory against giants Philadelphia Union at Subaru Park.
The victory sees Inter Miami advance to the Leagues Cup final vs. the winner of Nashville/Monterrey on Saturday, Aug. 19. If Monterrey wins then Miami will host the final, if Nashville win, they will host the final.
Lionel Messi's transfer to Inter Miami has set MLS on a path to the stars. Literally. And the Magic Messi effect on MLS is just getting started.
Lionel Messi appeared to tweak his left ankle during a training session Monday, but the Inter Miami standout is not expected to miss Tuesday's League Cup semifinal on the road against the Philadelphia Union.
Video from ESPN's Spanish-language affiliate showed Messi as he appeared to roll his left ankle in a close-quarters passing drill. He stepped gingerly on his left foot for a few moments but returned to the drill.
Lionel Messi’s game-tying free kick vs. FC Dallas on Sunday in the Leagues Cup was an insane moment. A new video angle prior to the kick shows that Messi was a little sneaky when he was setting up to take the shot.
While the referee had his back turned the Argentine ever so subtly moved the ball closer to the middle of the field to get a better angle for the shot.
Monterrey will be playing in the quarter-finals of the Leagues Cup against LAFC this Friday and they are, along with Querétaro, the only Liga MX teams qualified for the next round of the tournament.
✅ Round of 32
✅ Round of 16
Quarterfinals pic.twitter.com/5mphS4X2LR— Leagues Cup (@LeaguesCup) August 9, 2023
Aug. 1 was an incredibly dark day for me personally. On that day I happened to agree with an opinion from Alexi Lalas. His thoughts on the United States women’s national team’s 0-0 draw with Portugal matched mine.
There can be zero question over the value of MLS Season Pass on Apple TV now. Lionel Messi's arrival at Inter Miami turned the streaming service into the hottest thing since the first guy to open a sandwich shop, and it certainly doesn't hurt when you also get to see Sergio Busquets apply tennis ball-like spin to his entry passes in 1080p. Oh, Jordi Alba's here too.
So when does Messi play again? Messi next match for Miami is part of a string of fixtures coming in hot for the Herons as they fight on three fronts: Leagues Cup, U.S. Open Cup and MLS.
Nashville SC defeated Club América 2-2 (6-5 on penalty kicks) Wednesday night in the Leagues Cup to advance to the quarterfinals. The result has become highly controversial with América/Mexico fans calling it a robbery.
The biggest talking point came in the penalty shootout when it initially looked like América goalkeeper Luis Malagón had won his side the game when he denied Jack Maher.