Lionel Messi returned to hero status at Chase Stadium, leading Inter Miami to their first-ever qualification for the second round of the MLS Cup Playoffs in club history. The Argentine captain shined by scoring a brace in the 4-0 Game 3 victory over Nashville that delivered the critical win for the Florida club.
Following their victory, Inter Miami will now play in the Conference Semifinals for the first time in the club’s history. There, Messi and his teammates will face FC Cincinnati, who secured their spot by defeating the Columbus Crew 2-1 in the decisive game of their series.
While the official date has yet to be confirmed, the MLS official website indicates that the Conference Semifinals are scheduled to be played between Saturday, November 22nd, and Sunday, November 23rd.
The format for this round changes dramatically from the best-of-three series played in Round One. The Semifinals will be a single, direct elimination match, hosted by the team with the better regular-season record, which in this case is FC Cincinnati.
Lionel Messi celebrates with teammates his first goal against Nashvile. (Getty Images)
Unlike the format used in the first round, if Inter Miami and Cincinnati tie after 90 minutes, the match will feature two extra-time periods of 15 minutes each. If the score remains level after those 30 minutes, the winner will then be decided via a penalty shootout.
Messi was the series hero for Inter Miami
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The Argentine captain was the undisputed hero of the series for Inter Miami, scoring a total of five goals across the three games against Nashville. Messi scored a brace in the 3-1 Game 1 victory, tallied one goal in the 2-1 Game 2 defeat, and scored a brace again in the decisive 4-0 Game 3 win.
Messi has now converted 34 goals so far this season, with 29 coming in the regular season—a tally that earned him the 2025 MLS Golden Boot, making him the first player in Inter Miami history to win the award.
Furthermore, he stretched his career mark to 894 goals, leaving him just seven goals shy of reaching 900 and becoming only the second player in history to do so, behind Cristiano Ronaldo.
