Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami to go up against an old foe in tasty CONCACAF clash

Inter Miami will have to overcome plenty of hurdles if they want to achieve all the goals they have set out for themselves this season. After their first victory in MLS 2024, Tata Martino’s team have established themselves as a candidate to dominate American soccer and are now dreaming of winning every trophy available.

Undoubtedly, one of the franchise’s priority objectives is the Concacaf Champions Cup, known also as the Concachampions. As a result of winning the last Leagues Cup, Inter Miami gained direct access to the second round, where their opponents, still with one game left to play, seem to be confirmed.

Nashville breezing through in CONCACAF Champions Cup

On Thursday night, Nashville SC defeated Moca 3-0, a team from the Dominican Republic that finished second in their domestic season last year. With goals from Mukhtar, Surridge and Boyd, the team from the state of Tennessee put the tie on track to be decided at home, meaning that, barring a surprise of historic proportions, the Americans will qualify to face Inter Miami in the next round.

Nashville were Inter Miami’s opponents in the final of the last edition of the Leagues Cup. On that occasion, penalty kicks were needed to decide the winner and in the end, after a long battle, it was the Florida team who went on to win the first title in their short history. Messi and Picault were the scorers in a match that ended up being defined by a mistake by Elliot Panicco from the penalty spot.

This was not the last meeting between Nashville SC and Inter Miami. On August 31 last year, the two franchises met in MLS in a match that ended goalless. This was the first match in which Messi neither scored nor assisted since his arrival in U.S. soccer.

This history shows a level of absolute equality between two of the most competitive teams in the United States, both of whom are able to cancel each other out. Barring a still imperceptible leap in quality, both teams promise a high-voltage tie that is likely to be settled by finer details. However, Inter Miami’s big signings or the adaptation of new players such as Luis Suárez could give them the edge on previously even ties in American soccer.