Messi goal, three assists as Inter Miami routs FC Cincinnati 4-0 in MLS playoffs
Lionel Messi and his Inter Miami teammates are two home wins away from lifting the MLS Cup for the first time in club history after blowing out FC Cincinnati 4-0 on the road in the Eastern Conference Semifinal on Sunday.
They arrived at TQL Stadium determined to avenge an embarrassing summer loss there and extend their post-season. Led by a master class performance from the Argentine icon, who had a goal and three assists, they did both.
Inter Miami played a near-perfect game, dominated start to finish, and advanced to the Eastern Conference Final against New York City FC on Saturday at 6 p.m. at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale.
NYCFC edged top seed Philadelphia Union 1-0 in the other conference semifinal, ensuring that Miami gets home field advantage for the conference final and the MLS Cup championship game, if the team advances.
“Our team is peaking at the right time,” jubilant team owner Jorge Mas said outside the locker room after the game. “I’ve always said the expectation level here is sky-high. We expect to lift trophies and win the MLS Cup. This was an amazing performance by the team. Leo Messi doesn’t cease to amaze. We’re two wins away. `Dos mas.’ That’s what I told everybody in the locker room.
“You look at our last game [4-0 win over Nashville] and this one, they may be two of the best performances in club history, period. The thing I love to see is the passion they’re playing with. They’re committed. It’s a team.”
Mas also praised first-year coach Javier Mascherano, who had never coached a professional team before this year.
“This is his first high-profile job as a coach, and I think he’s done an amazing job,” Mas said. “This is not an easy club to manage, first because of the expectations placed on him and the players from us, the owners. But you look at what we’ve done this year...how he’s managed the locker room, what he’s done with the development of our younger players, it’s been fantastic. And, how we played [Sunday]. It was a very composed, orderly game, in contrast to how we would have played in March or April.”
After the game, Apple TV analyst Dax McCarty said of Inter Miami: “They look like the most dangerous and well-balanced team left in the playoffs.”
Mascherano began his post-game remarks by dedicating the victory to the memory of Omar Souto, father of Inter Miami equipment manager Juan Cruz Souto and an Argentine soccer federation legend, who died on Sunday at age 73. Mascherano said Souto was instrumental in his career, and he is also known as a key figure in getting Messi to play for the Argentine national team rather than Spain.
Messi scored the first goal Sunday to set the tone and two other Argentine players followed his lead. Tadeo Allende had a brace and Mateo Silvetti scored and had an assist in place of Luis Suarez, who was left out of the starting lineup.
A sea of FC Cincinnati fans decked head to toe in blue and orange marched to the stadium through the West End streets chanting “Go FCC!”, banging drums, and waving giant flags as a cloud of orange smoke enveloped the neighborhood.
Unlike other venues where Messi plays, very few fans in Cincinnati show up at games in pink No. 10 shirts. They wear their team colors proudly. The only visible pink patch at the stadium was Section 225, where 60 or so La Familia Inter Miami supporters who flew up for the game were seated.
And that pink group of fans were the only ones cheering in the 19th minute, when Messi scored on a bouncing header to give Inter Miami a 1-0 lead. Jordi Alba won a ball near midfield and got the attack going, passing the ball to Messi, who sent it wide left to Silvetti, who sent a perfect cross back to Messi, who made the clinical finish.
It was Messi’s 30th header of his career, and the sixth goal in the past four games for the MLS Golden Boot winner. He set an MLS playoff record with 12 goal contributions (six goals, six assists) and it was just the conference semifinals.
“Between the ears he’s operating at a different level,” Apple TV analyst Taylor Twellman said of Messi.
The fact that 19-year-old Silvetti had the assist was significant because he was a surprise starter in place of Suarez, who was left out of the lineup.
The news was unexpected, especially because the club posted a photo of Suarez alone on Instagram six hours before kickoff with the caption: “Semifinal time. Let’s go.”
Also, when Mascherano was asked by media on Saturday about the possibility of Suarez coming off the bench, the coach spoke of the Uruguayan legend’s many virtues.
Suarez was suspended from the previous game, which Miami won 4-0 over Nashville SC to advance to the knockout game at Cincinnati. He was replaced by Silvetti, who added pace and a new dynamic to the team’s attack.
Inter Miami played “a near-perfect game” in the win over Nashville, Mascherano said after that game, and mentioned that Silvetti played well.
But when asked if he might keep that same lineup for the Cincinnati game, Mascherano said Saturday: “We have played 55 games this season, won 31 of those, and the majority of those were with Luis on the field. I am not going to discuss one player over another, and I think it would be disrespectful to Luis Suarez’s storied career. No two games are the same. Cincinnati is not Nashville. Sunday you’ll see what I decide.”
His decision to start Silvetti, which he said was “extremely difficult”, proved to be a wise one.
The teenager, who was a standout for Argentina at the recent U20 World Cup, brought energy on both ends of the field all night. He scored a scorcher from the left side to put Miami up 2-0 at the 57-minute mark. Allende started the sequence, and Messi (who else?) provided the perfect assist.
Silvetti got hugs from his teammates and then, wearing a huge smile, took a bow.
“For me this was not an easy decision, when you have to take out a player like Luis, with his history, with his importance on the team and the club, but I have to say it is admirable how he handled the decision,” Mascherano said.
“We spoke about it during the week. He understood. He helped his teammates. He trained in the best way. He showed what a big player and person he is. Because we know often when these decisions are made, it is hard for players to accept, but he has been a great example for his teammates. This win began with how he dealt with the decision, because it demonstrated our team unity.”
He added that the coaching staff felt this was a game to attack spaces, rather than hold the ball, and they were able to do that better with Allende and Silvetti.
“It is an honor as a forward to score in this shirt,” Silvetti said. “I am happy I could help the team. You are always ready whether you are a starter or a sub. [Sunday] I got to start, and I always leave it all on the field. We knew the game would be defined by details, we played very good defensively and were able to find spaces to attack.”
Five minutes after Silvetti scored, it was Allende’s turn to join the party. Messi sent a deep through ball to his fellow Argentine, who dribbled into the box untouched and drilled the ball into the net. Cincinnati goalkeeper Roman Celentano was left grumbling.
And, Celentano’s night would get worse. Allende scored a second goal to make it 4-0 in the 74th minute.
The Inter Miami starting lineup included Rocco Rios Novo at goalkeeper; Marcelo Weigandt, Maxi Falcon, Noah Allen and Jordi Alba in defense; Sergio Busquets, Rodrigo De Paul, Baltasar Rodriguez, Mateo Silvetti in midfield; Messi and Tadeo Allende as strikers. Weigandt started in place of Ian Fray, who had been starting of late, but did not make the roster due to a slight injury suffered while he was with the Jamaican national team last week.
Allen went out with an injury in the 71st minute and was replaced by Tomas Aviles. Five minutes later, Suarez entered the game for Allende and Telasco Segovia replaced Rodriguez. Yannick Bright went on for Alba at the 81-minute mark.
Cincinnati’s starters were Celentano at goalkeeper; Nick Hagglund, Miles Robinson and Teenage Hadebe at defense; Evander, Samuel Gidi, Pavel Bunch, Lukas Engel, and Ender Echeniuque at midfield; Brenner and Kevin Denkey at striker.
The weather was perfect, 52 degrees and not a cloud in the sky.
After falling far short of expectations last season with a first-round playoff exit, Messi and his teammates advanced to the knockout round for the first time in the club’s six-year history and are hungry for more.
For information on how to purchase tickets for Saturday’s Eastern Conference Final, go to intermiamicf.com
This story was originally published November 23, 2025 at 5:19 PM.