Lionel Messi keeps scoring goals, and Inter Miami keeps winning games. (More Football news)
Messi scored yet again as Inter Miami beat Philadelphia Union 4-1 in a Leagues Cup semifinal on Tuesday night.
Lionel Messi keeps scoring goals, and Inter Miami keeps winning games. (More Football news)
Messi ripped a shot from 30 yards past three Philadelphia defenders in the 20th minute that made fans who paid a record price for soccer tickets in the Philly area rejoice, and Inter Miami beat the Union 4-1 in a Leagues Cup semifinal on Tuesday night.
Major League Soccer is Messi바카라s league now. Messi exchanged jerseys with fellow Argentinian and Union forward Julián Carranza, then skipped out on the traditional postgame interview and instead saved his message for his 483 million Instagram followers.
바카라We worked our way to the finals and we made it!!! We바카라re still on the last step,바카라 he wrote.
The seven-time Ballon d바카라Or winner scored his ninth goal in six matches with his new team in front of a crowd that pushed 20,000 fans, with ticket prices soaring past $1,000 on the secondary market.
There were few complaints.
Certainly not from three Union season-ticket holders who ditched the home team바카라s garb for a night and traded it for Messi gear. Or fans that lined up for Messi jerseys 바카라 authenticity not guaranteed 바카라 and the ones hungry at a food truck for Messi fries.
And certainly not from the Union, who, of course wanted to win, but otherwise stuffed the coffers and received more worldwide attention on one night than in any game they바카라ve played in their history.
Fans erupted when the 36-year-old Messi was introduced and went wild again when he scored past diving goalkeeper Andre Blake. Messi ran with his arms extended and then punched his fist in the air as he leapt in celebration.
The rest was almost incidental.
Jordi Alba and Josef Martinez also scored in the first half for Miami, and David Ruiz scored in the second. Miami will play in the Leagues Cup championship game Saturday against Nashville, which beat Mexican club Monterrey 2-0 later Tuesday night.
Alejandro Bedoya scored in the second half for Philadelphia.
바카라They바카라re only going to get better. That Miami team is gonna go,바카라 Union coach Jim Curtin said. 바카라Their ownership is going to spend like crazy. They바카라re going to make them the best team in the league. They might already be the best team in the league. That바카라s coming and I don바카라t think anything바카라s stopping them.바카라
Union principal owner Jay Sugarman told The Associated Press there was no real consideration given to moving the game from Subaru Park to Lincoln Financial Field, home of the Eagles. While the football stadium would have packed in another 40,000-plus fans, Sugarman said told him the game would stay put.
Philly native and Hall of Fame boxer Bernard Hopkins struck the 6-foot drum that welcomed the team to the field and Sixers center and NBA MVP Joel Embiid, who played soccer as a child in Cameroon, showed interest in the game.
바카라Make sure y바카라all show love to the (goat) in our city tonight but let바카라s first get this dub #DOOP #Philly,바카라 he wrote on social media.
Inter Miami already played in Chester before Messi had signed, leaving Union officials to study the Leagues Cup field like an NCAA Tournament bracket once it was announced.
바카라You try not to, but of course we were like, if we do this, and they do this,바카라 Sugarman said, laughing. 바카라We hope we바카라re playing in front of a worldwide audience tonight. It바카라s a chance for the Philadelphia Union to put on the best show we can against one of the best teams and best players.바카라
The Union fell well short of that standard.
바카라I think there is a little bit of, we were too excited, maybe we showed a little too much respect,바카라 Curtin said. 바카라We got punished by a good team. We got humbled a bit.바카라
Led by the rabid supporters group called 바카라Sons of Ben,바카라 the Messi game sold out in less than 10 minutes and the price exploded this week on the secondary market. River End seats that normally go for $43 spiked to more than a grand, and the average price of $556 was the highest in Union history. An hour or so before the game, tickets in the lower level were still going for $450 and up.
바카라People love Messi,바카라 Inter Miami defender Sergii Kryvtsov said.
All around the world and especially Tuesday outside the stadium, where it was Messi Mania for the superstar, who led Argentina to the World Cup title last year and has essentially become a one-man 1992 Dream Team.
Angel Pagan and her family, of Vineland, New Jersey, all wore Messi shirts 바카라 even though they are Union season-ticket holders. They love Messi so much, their youngest son is named Lionel in his honor. She upgraded her tickets for the game to sit closer to the field and said only they were 바카라very, very expensive.바카라
바카라We didn바카라t care what it cost,바카라 she said. 바카라It바카라s Messi.바카라
Under Curtin, in his 10th season, the Union blossomed into one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference and clinched their first Supporters바카라 Shield trophy 바카라 awarded to the MLS team with the best regular-season record 바카라 in 2020. A season ago, the Union fell to LAFC in the MLS Cup. NBA superstar Kevin Durant, now with the Phoenix Suns, thought enough of the Union바카라s potential to buy a stake in the team.
The Union바카라s path 바카라 and all other teams바카라 바카라 to an MLS championship suddenly seems complicated by Messi바카라s arrival.
바카라This is a fantastic league with a growing fanbase, but you always need that match to really light it,바카라 Sugarman said. 바카라Messi is the match.바카라