The Herons will take on the MLS leaders in the 2023 US Open Cup semifinals, with a place in the tournament-decider up for grabs. The winner will take on Houston Dynamo or Real Salt Lake in the final.

Of course, Leo’s level in the Leagues Cup suggests Cincinnati will have a challenging task in trying to stop him. Colombian defender Santiago Arias, in fact, admitted the only way to stand a chance against Messi is with teamwork.

Santiago Arias knows stopping Messi won’t be easy for Cincinnati

“I don’t know how he can be stopped (laughs),” Arias told EFE. “It’s teamwork, trying to get the ball out of him, we know it’s not easy. Everyone knows the offensive power that Messi has, the quality that he has, what a good player he is, but in the end we will try not to let him do too much.

“Not only him, because we know that there are other players who also play very well. I think this match will be won by whoever is focused for the 90 minutes. … It’s going to be a pretty difficult game, especially now with the players that Miami has. It’s going to be a nice match. Right now there is as much respect for us as there is for them.”

Cincinnati will put much of their hopes on Arias, since he has experience playing against world-class players from his time in Europe. However, Messi means a bigger challenge even for a defender of his caliber.