Two stoppage time goals and a Lionel Messi golazo were enough to push Inter Miami into the round of 16 in the Concacaf Champions Cup after defeating Sporting Kansas City 3-1 at Chase Stadium on Tuesday, winning 4-1 on aggregate. SKC had the better chances for the first half but Miami's efficiency showed with three goals on only three shots including a giveaway directly to Luis Suarez that he finished while falling down. Messi is picking up right where he left off with goal contributions in three consecutive matches in all competitions and the Herons will be facing Jamaican side Cavalier SC in the next round of CCC play.
These are the kinds of matches that show just how much Miami gain with Messi in the side because the first half of play saw Sporting produce seven shots with three on target while Dejan Joveljic had a shot cleared off the line and another chalked off for offside. But via Messi, Suarez and new signing Tadeo Allende, Miami turned every chance that they got into goals.
Even when the defense looked suspect, Sporting Kansas City couldn't take advantage while Miami finished their chances which is why the Herons will be in the last 16 of the Champions Cup. The Herons have yet to play a complete game so far under Javier Mascherano but it won't matter too much with them picking up two victories and a draw in their first three matches.
Next up will be a trip to Houston to face the Dynamo in a match that center back Tomas Aviles will be suspended for due to picking up a red card in league play. But with getting to rest Messi for some of this match and having until Sunday to recover for the clash, Miami will be ready to go.
This is the kind of rotation that will be needed to balance playing in four distinct competitions this season, tied for the most of any team along with the Seattle Sounders. Mascherano is beginning to learn what depth players he can trust, and while the pressure is still on Messi to perform, at 37, he's showing no sign of slowing down after winning the league MVP award last season.
It wasn't the prettiest performance from Inter Miami but in a Concacaf competition, you just need to survive and advance and they did just that. It was a valiant effort for Sporting Kansas City but with the mistakes that were made, it's clear why SKC has four consecutive losses in Champions Cup play while Messi and the Herons will move on.
Suarez, Busquets and Falcon are all off with Ruiz, Taylor and Lujan all entering to close out the final eight minutes of the match.
Benjamin Cremaschi will enter as with the game mostly over and Messi on short rest, this is a good chance for Javier Mascherano to manage minutes to ensure that the Argentine is healthy all season.
Sporting has quite a goal with Memo Rodriguez hitting one from outside the box. They now need to score three more times but this could go down as a Falcon own goal after a deflection off his head. This is SKC's first goal of 2025.
Tomas Aviles will exit as Miami prepares for not having him to face the Houston Dynamo on Sunday due to suspension.
It's a shock any time that the Argentine touches the ball and it doesn't end in a goal but Pulskamp was forced into quite a save to keep the match where it is. It doesn't seem like it'll be long before Miami finds a fourth.
SKC were putting in a decent shift in the first half until they weren't and Miami scored two stoppage time goals. They dominated the chances in the half but now have nothing to show for it and will need a whopping four goals to advance.
Not even two minutes after their second goal, Inter Miami has scored a thrid that's all Sporting Kansas City's fault. Suarez was able to finish his chance while going to ground and this is just about over in Fort Lauderdale.
In stoppage time of the first half, Inter Miami were able to score a goal in some ways against the run of play with Jordi Alba playing the ball across the face of the goal and Tadeo Allende was there to finish the chance. Miami has been ultra efficient turning two shots into two goals.
There is VAR in the Concacaf Champions Cup but Dejan Joveljic's finish won't count after he was offside by the slightest of margins. The Herons should consider themselves lucky because enough has been done that a goal should be conceded.
One note from Miami scoring the opening goal is that the only way that we could have extra time is with a 1-0 SKC victory. Since away goals are the tiebreaker, now SKC would need to win 2-1 to draw level on aggregate which would be enough to advance.
Ustari was closed down and almost gave up a goal to SKC before Falcon was then called to make a goal line clearance on a big chance. Sporting may not have had the strongest start to this match but their attack is finding its feet as things go on.
It's Inter Miami who strikes first as Kansas City broke down in the middle of the pitch and Messi wouldn't miss firing the Herons into the lead. He now has a goal in both legs as that shot was taken almost in slow motion in the 20th minute of play.
While it hasn't been a very clean start for the HErons, they have had chances from corner kicks in the early going of the match. Sporting will need to score because if Miami are allowed to have chances, they'll make good on at least one of them.
Sporting isn't afraid to run at the Herons but when it has come to the final ball, it hasn't been there in the early going. All it takes is one pass to break the match open with how meaningful away goals are.
It's quite a match for both teams in only their third match of the new season with a spot in the Concacaf Champions Cup round of 16 on the line.
Miami are the favorites for a reason and as long as they avoid any unnecessary drama, they should find a way to book a spot in the round of 16 with relative ease, especially against an SKC side that may not be much improved from last year. Pick: Inter Miami 2, Sporting Kansas City 0
Dejan Joveljic still seeks his first goal for the club but with Miami breaking in a new center back pairing, he will have chances.
Starters: John Pulskamp, Jacob Bartlett, Tim Leibold, Daniel Rosero, Robert Voloder, Magomed-Shapi Sulymanov, Erik Thommy, Zorhan Bassong, Manu Garcia, Jacob Davis, Dejan Joveljic
The Herons could line up in a 4-3-3 or in a back three but it won't shift too much of the setup.
Starters: Oscar Ustari, Jordi Alba, Maximiliano Falcon, Tomas Aviles, Ian Fray, Federico Redondo, Sergio Busquets, Telasco Segovia, Radeo Allende, Luis Suarez, Lionel Messi
Inter Miami have one win and one draw to start their season, which is not too shabby but both results have come in dramatic circumstances. While Miami dealt with extreme conditions in Kansas City that forced the postponement of the first leg by a day, their 2-2 draw against New York City FC on Saturday was a triumph of sorts after playing much of the game down to 10. In theory, Tuesday's game marks the first real chance for Miami to show what they have been working on in preseason with Mascherano, who just started his first season with the club.
Expect Lionel Messi to play a big role as usual, especially since he's started the season in strong form. He has one goal and two assists in two games, scoring the lone goal in this cup tie. Mascherano's side will enter the second leg almost fully fit, so anyone from ex-Barcelona star Luis Suarez to Saturday's goalscorer Telasco Segovia could also play a part.
Inter Miami won't have to worry about the freezing cold as they face Sporting Kansas City in the friendly confines of Chase Stadium with a place in the Concacaf Champions Cup round of 16 on the line. Messi was able to score in the first leg to give the Herons a leg up heading into this round but they'll need their defense to ensure that Sporting doesn't make good on their attacking chances.
