MLS
Messi and Inter Miami target triple: has a MLS team ever won a double or triple?
The Argentine star’s move stateside could hardly have been scripted better, and fresh targets continue to open up ahead.
In a span of just a month and a half, the landscape for Inter Miami has undergone a complete transformation. The arrival of Lionel Messi has propelled the team to discover its utmost potential, resulting in the conquest of one title and to secure a place in the final of the United States Open Cup tournament.
Messi factor means anything is possible
The victory on Wednesday night against Cincinnati at the TQL Stadium positions Inter and Messi for a shot at their second title in the United States within a three-month period, as the showdown against Houston Dynamo is scheduled for the latter part of September.
With a little over a month remaining until the US Open Cup final, the Miami team had emerged as the primary contender for the trophy. The presence of the Argentine superstar works significantly in favour of the Herons, who, throughout this month, have seamlessly found their optimal performance.
The hat-trick becomes a real option for Messi and Inter Miami
With this second title up for grabs and the latter part of the MLS season in play, Messi and Inter Miami hold in their hands the opportunity to etch their names in history by achieving a historic treble in this very season.
Should they manage to rise from the bottom of the standings in the Western Conference and secure a spot in the MLS Playoffs, David Beckham’s team could emerge as a serious contender for the MLS Cup title. This would complement the Leagues Cup and potentially the US Open Cup titles, the latter of which will be secured by overcoming Dynamo.
Contemplating such a prospect before Messi’s arrival was deemed implausible for Inter Miami. The team languished at the bottom of the MLS rankings and struggled to secure victories. However, since the world champion set foot in South Florida, the team has become virtually unbeatable and has triumphed over even the most formidable rivals within the Eastern Conference up to this point.
Has any team won a ‘double’ or ‘triple’ before?
in the same way as we see in other more established leagues in Europe, teams have more than one prize in mind when they begin the season. In the US there is the MLS Cup (at the end of the league season), the Supporters’ Shield and the U.S. Open Cup.
Nine franchises have thus far achieved the notable feat known as “the double,” securing both the MLS Cup and either the Supporters’ Shield, the U.S. Open Cup, (and also including the Canadian Championship), the Leagues Cup within a single season. Among them, Toronto FC stands alone as the sole team to have claimed a triple, a remarkable achievement completed in the year 2017.
Messi has this in his sights, and although this year may be a stretch, a full season awaits thereafter.