On July 21, 2023, two professional soccer clubs, Cruz Azul and Inter Miami CF, played against each other in the 2023 Leagues Cup group stage at DRV PNK Stadium, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States. This game garnered global media attention for being the official debut of Argentine player Lionel Messi for Inter Miami CF, alongside his former Barcelona teammate Sergio Busquets. The game ended with a 2–1 win for Inter Miami after Messi scored a free-kick in the final minutes of the match.

After the game, Inter Miami CF went on to win against Atlanta United FC, securing the top spot in South 3 group with six points, ahead of Cruz Azul with two points, and advancing to the knockout stage. Inter Miami CF then successively defeated Orlando City SC in round of 32, FC Dallas in round of 16, Charlotte FC in quarter-finals, and Philadelphia Union in semi-finals before winning against Nashville SC on penalties in the final to claim the championship. Cruz Azul was eliminated in the round of 32, losing to Charlotte FC in a 0–0 draw but lost 3–4 on penalties.

This victory snapped a poor run of form for Inter Miami CF and provided crucial momentum for the team to go on and win that season's Leagues Cup. It also marked the beginning of a successful era for the club following the signing of Lionel Messi in July 2023, a period that included the 2024 Supporters' Shield and their first-ever MLS Cup title in 2025. Messi's presence also helped elevate the club's international profile and generated greater public interest in the United States in soccer, a sport that had not historically been the most popular in the country.

Background

The 2023 Leagues Cup is the third edition of the Leagues Cup, an international club soccer tournament between Major League Soccer (MLS) and Liga MX. It was held from July 21 to August 19, 2023, with all 77 matches held in either Canada and the United States. The tournament was organized by the two leagues (MLS and Liga MX) and sanctioned by CONCACAF, the continental governing body for the sport in North America, Central America and Caribbean. This tournament was the first edition where all MLS and Liga MX teams participated. The MLS Cup 2022 winners (Los Angeles FC) and the 2022 Clausura or 2022 Apertura champions with the highest aggregate points accumulated across 2022 (Pachuca) qualified automatically for the round of 32. The remaining 45 teams were placed into 15 groups of three.

For the group stage, teams played one match against each team in their group. Regulation wins were worth three points and regulation losses are zero points. Matches tied after 90 minutes advanced to a penalty shoot-out, where the winner earned two points and the loser earned one. All matches were held in either Canada and United States, with the MLS teams playing at home and intra-Liga MX matches played at MLS venues depending on their region. Matches disrupted by inclement weather, including thunderstorms, were delayed or postponed to another date to resume at the time of the stoppage.

Teams Cruz Azul

Cruz Azul entered the 2023 Leagues Cup with a lackluster domestic record and significant pressure to perform. Despite being the first champions of the tournament in 2019 under the old format, the Mexican club failed to maintain a consistent position before the 2023 season officially kicked off in the summer. In the Liga MX Apertura 2023, Cruz Azul, under coach Ricardo Ferretti, had what is considered their worst start in years. The team lost all three opening games against Atlas (0–2), Toluca (0–2), and Club Tijuana (1–2), dropping to 16th place in the standings (16th out of 18 teams). The main reasons for this result were the ineffective attack, scoring only one goal in three games, combined with systemic errors in defense.

In terms of personnel, the Cruz Azul squad that year had a relatively young average age, around 25 years old. The team's core was a combination of Mexican domestic players like Uriel Antuna and Carlos Rodríguez, and foreign players from South America like Moisés. Despite possessing national team players, the team's playing style at that time still lacked the necessary cohesion under coach Ferretti's philosophy. Inter Miami CF

Inter Miami CF entered MLS as an expansion team in 2020 and had yet to advance to a prior tournament final. The team finished twelfth in the 2022 regular season standings and were seeded into the South 3 group. Before the Leagues Cup break, Miami were at the bottom of the Eastern Conference in regular season play with 18 points in 22 matches and on an 11-match winless streak. During the 2023 summer transfer window, the club signed forward Lionel Messi, midfielder Sergio Busquets, and defender Jordi Alba, all former FC Barcelona players and among the world's best in their positions; Inter Miami CF also signed a trio of young South American prospects to under-22 Designated Player contracts and offloaded veteran players to keep salary costs manageable and under the cap. Head coach Phil Neville was fired on June 1 and temporarily replaced by assistant Javier Morales until Gerardo "Tata" Martino joined in July.

Pre-game Lionel Messi's appearance generated huge commercial demand and drove up ticket prices. Although the organizers initially listed prices at $200 to $340 for corner seats, average ticket prices on secondary trading platforms like Vivid Seats and StubHub increased by nearly 1000% immediately after the match schedule was confirmed. Resale prices for seats closest to the pitch ranged from $10,000 to over $50,000, with some exceptional VIP seats reaching a maximum of $110,000. To accommodate the increased number of spectators, the DRV PNK stadium management had to install additional stands to raise the capacity to approximately 18,000 to 21,000 seats.

The match attracted a large number of celebrities from various fields in the VIP stands, including athletes LeBron James, Serena Williams, club co-owner David Beckham and his wife Victoria Beckham, as well as entertainment figures such as Kim Kardashian, Marc Anthony and Becky G. From a commercial standpoint, Messi's number 10 jersey, priced at $199, saw rapid sales, causing fans to queue for hours at stores around the stadium due to disruptions in online supply before the match. Even the prestigious fashion magazine Vogue ranked Messi's Inter Miami number 10 jersey among the top 15 most attractive and trendsetting fashion items of 2023. On digital platforms, the number of users subscribing to Apple TV's MLS Season Pass to watch the match live grew significantly, and footage of Messi's movements, warm-ups, and bench appearances consistently topped trending lists on social media around the time of the match.

Game summary Lineups Cruz Azul employed a 4–2–3–1 formation. Goalkeeper Andrés Gudiño defended the goal. The back four consisted of Rodrigo Huescas, Rafael Guerrero, Carlos Salcedo, and Ignacio Rivero. Jesús Dueñas and Carlos Rodríguez occupied the defensive midfield positions. The attacking midfielders were Uriel Antuna, Moisés, and Carlos Rotondi, supporting striker Diber Cambindo. Due to injury, defender Rodrigo Huescas had to leave the field early in the 30th minute and was replaced by Juan Marcelo Escobar. On the Inter Miami CF side, coach Gerardo Martino deployed a 4–3–3 formation. Drake Callender was the starting goalkeeper. The defense consisted of four defenders: DeAndre Yedlin, Serhiy Kryvtsov, Kamal Miller, and Ian Fray. The midfield was manned by Benjamin Cremaschi, Dixon Arroyo, and David Ruiz. The three forwards were Robert Taylor, Leonardo Campana, and Robbie Robinson. Similar to their opponents, Inter Miami CF also had to make a mandatory substitution at the 30th minute when Noah Allen came on to replace Ian Fray.

Details

Cruz Azul kicked off at 20:00 p.m. under clear skies and in front of 20,512 spectators. The match opened with a goal in the 44th minute by Robert Taylor of Inter Miami CF. In the second half, in the 54th minute, Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets were brought on to replace Cremaschi and Ruiz. Shortly after, Josef Martínez also came on for Campana. In the 65th minute, striker Uriel Antuna scored the equalizer for Cruz Azul with a shot inside the penalty area. In the following period, both teams made tactical substitutions, including Kevin Castaño, Augusto Lotti, and Christian Tabó coming on for the Cruz Azul, and Christopher McVey coming on for the Inter Miami CF.

In the fourth minute of stoppage time in the second half (90+4'), Inter Miami CF were awarded a free kick outside the penalty area. Lionel Messi converted the free kick into the net, securing a 2–1 victory for Inter Miami CF before the referee blew the final whistle.

Box score

GK 30 Andrés Gudiño RB 18 Rodrigo Huescas CB 3 Carlos Salcedo CB 33 Rafael GuerreroLB 15 Ignacio RiveroDM 19 Carlos Rodríguez DM 8 Jesús Dueñas AM 10 Moisés LW 29 Carlos Rotondi RW 7 Uriel Antuna ST 28 Diber Cambindo Substitutions:RB 24 Juan Marcelo Escobar DM 5 Kevin Castaño AM 11 Christian Tabó FW 21 Augusto Lotti Manager: Ricardo Ferretti GK 1 Drake CallenderRB 2 DeAndre YedlinCB 31 Kamal Miller CB 27 Serhiy KryvtsovLB 24 Ian Fray CM 30 Benjamin Cremaschi AM 3 Dixon Arroyo CM 41 David Ruiz LW 19 Robbie RobinsonST 9 Leonardo Campana RW 16 Robert TaylorSubstitutions:DF 32 Noah Allen FW 10 Lionel Messi CM 5 Sergio Busquets ST 17 Josef Martínez CB 4 Christopher McVey Manager: Gerardo Martino

Player of the Match: Lionel Messi (Inter Miami CF)

Assistant referee: Walter López (Guatemala) Christian Ramírez (Guatemala) Fourth official: Nelson Salgado (Guatemala) Video assistant referee: Luis Enrique Santander (Mexico)

Team stats Statistics CAZ MIA Goals 1 2 Shots 18 12 Shots on target 8 6 Saves 4 7 Ball possession 48% 53% Corners 8 4 Fouls 12 14 Offsides 2 2 Cautions 1 1 Ejections 0 0

Scoring summary Team Scorer Minute Score MIA 16 Robert Taylor 44 1–0 MIA CAZ 7 Uriel Antuna 65 1–1 MIA 10 Lionel Messi 90+4 2–1 MIA

Misconducts: 2 cautionsTeamPlayer (type)Minute MIA Dixon Arroyo (Caution) 38 CAZ Jesús Dueñas (Caution) 90+2

Post-game According to CNN, Messi's substitution from the bench in the 54th minute marked a turning point in the match, culminating in the decisive free-kick goal in the 90+4 minute. Meanwhile, CBS Sports described the goal's trajectory as aesthetically pleasing. The sports newspaper Marca considered Messi's goal one of the most significant milestones since the founding of Inter Miami CF. International media also quoted club co-owner David Beckham praising the Argentine superstar's performance on live television. Besides the factual events, several news outlets such as Reuters and the Spanish newspaper Diaro AS have provided expert analysis of Inter Miami CF's playing style. Experts pointed out that the American team still showed many weaknesses in their defensive system, allowing Cruz Azul to take a total of 18 shots. The media suggested that Inter Miami CF might have suffered an unfavorable result if not for the outstanding performance of goalkeeper Drake Callender with 7 saves in the match, before Messi sealed the 2–1 victory.

In a live interview at the stadium immediately after the match ended, Lionel Messi explained his tactical thinking and purpose in taking the free kick in the 90+4th minute. According to reports distributed by the Associated Press (AP), Messi stated that he was aware it was the final moment of the match and deliberately took the shot to settle the game within regular time, avoiding the risks of a penalty shootout in the group stage of the League Cup. Additionally, CNN noted that Messi emphasized the importance of this result for the club's overall morale in a new season, asserting that this victory would boost the team's confidence for the next phase of competition.