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The Argentine superstar elevated his goal count to nine in six appearances for Miami during the semi-final played at Philadelphia’s Subaru Park.
Venezuelan talent Josef Martinez, formerly Messi’s teammate at Barcelona, and substitute David Ruiz also contributed to Miami’s goal tally, in addition to Jordi Alba, another ex-Barcelona player. On the other side, Alejandro Bedoya was the lone scorer for Philadelphia, who struggled against Miami’s dominance.
As a result, Messi will now captain Miami in his 42nd career final when the World Cup-style tournament involving clubs from Mexico and Major League Soccer concludes on Saturday. This victory also secures Miami’s spot in next year’s CONCACAF Champions Cup, the premier regional club competition.
The semi-final clash on Tuesday in Philadelphia was theoretically anticipated to be Messi’s most challenging test since his debut for Miami on July 21, following his move from Paris Saint-Germain.
Philadelphia ranks among the strongest teams in MLS and holds the third position in the Eastern Conference standings, whereas Miami lags at the bottom of the table.
The Union had been virtually unbeatable at home, having suffered only one defeat in their previous 38 matches at Subaru Park.
However, the home team found themselves in chaos merely three minutes into the game as Miami seized the lead. A long pass from Ukrainian defender Sergii Kryvtsov caused havoc in the Union’s defensive line, allowing Martinez to capitalize and fire a shot beyond the diving Philadelphia goalkeeper Andre Blake.
Philadelphia had a golden opportunity to level the score five minutes later, when Hungarian international Daniel Gazdag broke through the defence, only to direct his shot straight into the waiting arms of Miami goalkeeper Drake Callender.
Gazdag had another promising chance after 19 minutes, but his curling shot from the edge of the box narrowly missed the target.
Yet, if Philadelphia drew hope from that chance, it was swiftly extinguished as Messi struck once more to exploit the lax Union defence. Damion Lowe’s momentary lapse allowed Martinez to escape his marker and set up Messi, who then had a lot of time and space to unleash a powerful low strike from outside the box into the bottom corner past Blake.
Despite Philadelphia’s persistent pressure and ball possession, it was Miami that landed the crucial blow just before half-time. Finnish international Robert Taylor exhibited solid ball control in the midfield, biding his time before finding the advancing Jordi Alba. The former Barcelona star executed a precise finish, extending Miami’s lead to 3-0 at the halftime whistle.
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In the second half, Philadelphia coach Jim Curtin altered his formation to include an extra attacker in an attempt to shift the tide. However, the Union squandered two prime opportunities, with Chris Donovan rounding Callender in the 55th minute only to shoot over the crossbar. Jakob Glesnes followed suit, wasting a chance from close range by lofting the ball over the bar in the 66th minute.
Philadelphia’s hope flickered in the 73rd minute when Bedoya capitalized on chaos from a corner kick, slotting the ball in. Yet, Miami extinguished any prospects of a comeback when Ruiz reinstated the visitors’ three-goal advantage just six minutes before the final whistle.
