Lionel Messi scored his ninth goal with his new club Inter Miami and helped them reach the first major final in club history by dispatching Philadelphia Union 4-1 in a Leagues Cup semi-final on Tuesday in Chester, Pennsylvania.
All nine of Messi’s goals since his Miami introduction last month have come in the Leagues Cup, a tournament contested among all 47 teams in Major League Soccer and Liga MX.
He will look for his 10th (or more) in Saturday night’s final against Nashville SC, who beat CF Monterrey 2-0 in the other semi-final later on Tuesday. The final will be played in Nashville.
Josef Martinez opened the scoring with his third goal of the tournament, and Messi’s former FC Barcelona teammate Jordi Alba scored his first goal for the Herons in the win, with all of those coming before halftime. David Ruiz added late insurance for a Miami team.