July 23 – It was a dream start for Lionel Messi, Inter Miami and the first edition of the Leagues Cup which sees MLS and Liga MX clubs halt league play for a month-long tournament across the US and Canada in July and August.
The tournament opened with the two bottom teams in the MLS and LigaMX facing each other in Fort Lauderdale – InterMiami vs Cruz Azul. But never mind their league positions, this is a different competition and was only ever going to be Messi’s night.
In one of the most highly anticipated U.S. sporting debuts in recent memory, the noght more than lived up to expectations.
Fans had to wait until the 70th minute before World Cup champion and seven-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi came off. They then had to wait for a moment of sheer genius in second-half stoppage time.
A free kick on the edge of the Cruz Azul box, with the score at 1-1, saw Messi step up and curl a brilliant left-footed strike into the top corner of the Cruz Azul goal, right on script, and sending the 21,000 sellout crowd crazy.
“I knew it was the last chance,” Messi said. “I just tried like I always do and fortunately the goalkeeper couldn’t get the ball.
“It is important for this team to get wins because we are not in a good position in the league. I know this is another tournament but it will help our morale.”
Leagues Cup sparkler
It wasn’t just a boost for InterMiami, it marked a spectacular start for the new Leagues Cup.
The tournament between the 47 LigaMx and MLS clubs opens with 15 three-team groups played across the US in round-robin play. The top two top finishers in each group advance to a knockout stage (where they join pre-qualified LAFC and Pachuca) for one-off matches running through to a final on August 19.
The Leagues Cup champions will secure a place in the 2024 Concacacf Champions Cup (the renamed Champions League) round of 16, while the losing finalist and the third-place game winner will also gain a place in the Champions Cup’s first round.
One interesting change for the tournament is that every game will have a winner – there will be no draws. Games that are tied at full time will go straight to a penalty kick tiebreaker, with the winner of that shootout receiving two points while the loser gets one. Match winners in regulation time will get three points and losers zero points.
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