Argentine soccer superstar Lionel Messi is on his way to a second North American league trophy. In Thursday morning's (24) USL Cup quarterfinal match, Messi showed his class by contributing two key assists in a two-goal deficit against Inter Miami, which led to a 3-3 draw after 120 minutes of play. Inter-Miami defeated FC Cincinnati in the penalty shootout to advance to the final and will compete with Houston Dynamo on September 27th for the championship.
After winning the North American League Cup on Sunday (20), International Maia Mi struggled in their away match against FC Cincinnati. Facing the key defense of the opponents, Messi conceded two consecutive goals in the 18th and 53rd minutes. However, when the team was in a desperate situation, the frozen Messi stepped up, although he failed to score himself, but turned into an assist. In the 68th minute, Messi took a precise penalty kick from the left side of the field, which was quickly received by Lee Annadu Gambina and scored easily.
International Maia Mi continued to create chances relentlessly and finally scored seven minutes into extra time when Messi broke down the left side of the field and fired a powerful shot into the box with precision, once again allowing Lee Annadu Gambina to get a header on goal. Just three minutes into overtime, Zusuf Martinez killed off a shot into the box to put the game back in front for International Maia Mi. However, FC Cincinnati showed their strength as the "East Coast Boss" and tied the game at 3-3 in the 114th minute.
