It seemed that the fatigue had worn off, or that the opponents had begun to discover and avoid the tricks, and that the magic had vanished for the Inter Miami, although with the hope of thousands of fans that this was just a temporary occurrence.
However, Lionel Messi found a way to force extra time with two assists to Leonardo Campana with the score 2-2, before the team won for the second time on penalties.
Josef Martnez scored what seemed to be the game-winning goal in extra time, but FC Cincinnati equalised almost immediately with Yuya Kubo.
As a result, Lionel Messi has remained unbeaten since his arrival in the United States, demonstrating to his legions of fans that even on his worst days in football, he only needs a few chispazos to give his team a chance to win.
Miami has had aspirations for a second title since Messi, Sergio Busquets, and Jordi Alba arrived, despite the fact that the game was less spectacular and dominated by the third, who seems tired, as do their teammates, after eight games in 32 days.
Luciano Acosta opened the scoring at the TQL Stadium in Cincinnati’s downtown at minute 18, and Brandon Vázquez seemed to seal the deal at minute 53, much to the delight of the 25,513 fans who purchased tickets to the US Open Cup quarterfinal.
Miami will compete in the final of the US Open Cup, the oldest tournament sanctioned by US Soccer, with a history of 108 years. On September 27, he will face the winner of the match between Real Salt Lake and Houston Dynamo.
Despite the fact that técnico Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino made four changes to the starting lineup against Nashville SC: Leonardo Campana, Diego Gómez, Tomás Avilés, and Jean Mota, it appeared that the Leagues Cup, which took place only a few days ago, and the marathon of games in hot and humid conditions, cost money.
Busquets showed signs of fatigue almost from the start, and Alba took his time breaking through the band to do the damage he caused at the League Cup.
Avilés and Mota blazed ahead of their teammates, which is understandable given that it was their first game after signing.
Gómez, as in previous League Cup appearances, is nervous, imprecise, and lacks vision on the pitch both attacking and defending.
In any case, Inter Miami controlled the first half of the game, accounting for about 70% of the ball possession, while Cincinnati retreated after scoring.
After Vázquez’s goal, Miami seemed to be completely out of it until Messi sent a ball to Campana, who rematted perfectly for the goal.
Inter seemed to be improving after that, but the local had opportunities to finish the game against Inter.
At minute 74, referee Joseph Dickerson overturned a goal that seemed to send the FC Cincinnati to the final.
Inter Miami began to improve with the five changes made by Martino in the second half, which included the additions of Robert Taylor (Miller), Josef Martnez (Gómez), David Ruiz (Mota), Facudo Faras (Yedlin), and Noah Allen (Avilés).
Until, at minute 94, Messi came back to help Campana, who sent the game into extra time, where Martnez quickly dispossessed the home team.
Miami will pay a visit to the New York Red Bulls on Saturday, which will be Messi’s first MLS regular-season game.
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