Lionel Messi had two assists and converted in a shootout to lead Inter Miami over MLS-leading Cincinnati 5-4 on penalty kicks after a 3-3 draw on Wednesday night and into a U.S. Open Cup final against Houston.
Miami remained unbeaten in eight matches with Messi heading
into his Major League Soccer debut on Saturday at the New York Red Bulls. The
36-year-old, a seven-time Ballon d’Or winner, joined the team last month and
led it to the title of the Leagues Cup.
Cincinnati led 2-0 on goals by Luciano Acosta in the 18th
and Brandon Vazquez in the 53rd before Messi set up goals by Leonardo Campana
in the 68th minute and seventh minute of stoppage time.
Josef MartÃnez put Miami ahead 3-2 three minutes into extra
time, but Yuya Kubo retied the score in the 114th minute.
Messi made Miami’s first attempt in the shootout, and the
teams were perfect through four rounds. Herons goalkeeper Drake Callender saved
Nick Hagglund’s kick in the fifth round, and Ben Cremaschi made his PK to send
Miami to another tournament final.
Houston won the other semifinal, beating visiting Salt Lake
3-1 in extra time. The Dynamo got goals from Héctor Herrera in the fifth minute
of first-half stoppage time, Adalberto Carrasquilla in the 105th and Luis
Caicedo five minutes into the second extra session. Anderson Julio scored an
equalizer in the 64th.
Miami will host the final on Sept. 27.
Cremaschi quickly was met by his teammates after the ball
hit the back of the net, and they danced around in a group circle on the field
while Cincinnati players knelt in disappointment.
“I think we were lacking sharpness to navigate that first
half,” Miami coach Tata Martino said through a translator. “We were a step off.
I saw a team with one gear less than our rival. The good thing about all of
this is that we didn’t drop our shoulders, we pressed on. It’s not easy in a
semifinal to turn things around the way we did. We adapted a lot. I think we
were controlling the game well in the second half. And the penalties, after
that ... If I’d had this kind of luck in penalties for the rest of my career,
things would have been a lot less stressful.”
Messi scored 10 goals in seven League Cup matches and was
held scoreless for the first time since joining Miami. His first assist came
off a free kick and his second on a long cross into the penalty area set up
Campana’s second goal on a header.
Before the penalty shootout, Messi gathered his teammates
and appeared to be giving a speech. After Kubo made the first attempt, Messi
placed his spot kick low to the left corner while by backup goalkeeper Alec
Kann, who starts cup matches, dove the other way.
“He’s a leader on the pitch and with the group he’s shown it
for a long time, not only here with Miami but also with Argentina,” Martino
said. “Luckily, players get behind his leadership and enthusiasm in his
response for every moment, no matter the circumstances, and today he showed it
more as a conductor than a finisher, and you saw that with the pass late in the
match but he makes difficult plays look easy.”
Messi didn’t attempt a shot until right before the final
overtime whistle, an attempt easily saved.
Throughout the first half, FC Cincinnati had done well to
close the space whenever Messi got on the ball.
“He makes the delivery on the plays that matter, and that’s
where he’s a difference-maker,” Cincinnati coach Pat Noonan said. “I thought as
a whole the guys did a pretty good job of limited moments where he could be in
dangerous spots to cause us problems, at times, having him drift a little
further from goal and be a playmaker. I thought we handled those moments pretty
well along the back line and I thought the 1 versus 1 moments and when we could
double, we got a lot of those moments right to be able to win the ball, so we
knew it was going to be a difficult challenge, but I thought overall the guys
had some good discipline in trying to limit a very elite player.”
Acosta scored his 14th goal in all competitions, a header
from Aaron Boupendza’s feed. Vazquez, a U.S. national team forward, scored from
outside the penalty area off a low cross from former Atletico Madrid and
Colombia international defender Santiago Arias.
Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, wide receivers Tee Higgins
and Tyler Boyd and defensive end Sam Hubbard were in attendance and took part
in pre-game festivities. -AP
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