Inter Miami has stormed into the MLS Cup final—once again thanks to its outstanding offense, which this time featured a different Argentine star than Lionel Messi.
The big goal is clear: Lionel Messi, the man who has won virtually everything there is to win, wants to win the MLS Cup, i.e. the US championship, with Inter Miami. And “La Pulga” is now just one step away from that, as Inter Miami won the Eastern Conference final against New York City FC by a very clear 5-1 margin.
Messi himself did not even appear as a goalscorer in the game; others were responsible for that. Such as Tadeo Allende, who scored in the 14th minute after a long ball and some clumsy defending by his opponent Raul Gustavo, shooting from about twelve meters on the right into the far corner. It was not to be the only goal for the Argentine, who has become Inter’s lifeline in the playoffs with his goals. In the 23rd minute, he rose perfectly in the penalty area to meet a cross from Jordi Alba from the left half of the field and headed home to make it 2-0. As in the 4-0 win against Nashville and the 4-0 win in the semi-final against Cincinnati, the 26-year-old was twice successful.
New York’s toughness has no effect
New York, Miami’s star ensemble led by veteran stars Messi (38), Jordi Alba (36), Sergio Busquets (37) and Rodrigo de Paul (31), repeatedly tried to put them in their place with tough play, but without much success. Shortly before halftime, they did manage to pull one back through Justin Haak, who was on hand to head in a free kick cross (37′). However, coach Javier Mascherano’s team showed after the break that they would not be deterred from their path.
However, Inter had to survive a few tricky moments in this scrappy duel, such as Tayvon Gray’s shot off the crossbar (53′) and Julian Fernandez’s big chance, which Rios Novo just managed to defuse with a monster save (66′).
Allende has the last word
When Mateo Silvetti finished off a Messi pass with a low shot from 11 meters into the left corner to make it 3-1 (67′), the home side finally got on the road to victory. In the closing stages, Messi finally initiated a counterattack via Telasco Segovia and Jordi Alba, which the Colombian finished from ten meters out after a fine one-two with the Spaniard, who added a backheel trick to the move – 4-1 (83′). The game was decided, but the final word had not yet been spoken. That was left to Allende, who, in the 89th minute, ran away with the ball after a wonderful deep pass from Yannick Bright and scored the final goal to make it 5-1.
Inter Miami, who were already the most dangerous team in the MLS by far in the regular season with 81 goals scored, well ahead of Chicago Fire (67 goals), once again demonstrated their impressive attacking qualities and are now just one step away from the title. This Saturday (3 a.m. CET), the grand final will take place against Vancouver Whitecaps, featuring Thomas Müller, who prevailed 3-1 against San Diego in the Western Conference final.