Nashville SC 1-1  Inter Miami: summary, score, goals, highlights, Leagues Cup final

LEAGUES CUP

How many trophies has Lionel Messi won in his professional career?

Messi now has 44 winners' medals for club and country: he overtakes former Barcelona team-mate Dani Alves as the men’s game’s most decorated player!

Check out the full story.

Inter Miami win Leagues Cup

Inter Miami win their first silverware and it's Drake Callender who is the hero for the Herons.

Callender and the Inter keeper makes no mistake.

The quality of the kicks has been exceptional.

Shalffelburg scores.

9-9

Panicco now for Nashville. The keeper has his kick saved.

Inter Miami win Leagues Cup.

Yedlin up next now for Miami.

The defender also drills home.

Davis now for Nashville

The veteran also scores

8-8

Ruiz now for Inter Miami.

The 19-year-old makes no mistake and scores.

MacNaughton now and the defender scores too.

7-7

Gomez up next for Miami.

Pressure on the 20-year-old and it's a poor kick but it goes in.

Next up for Nashville is Lovitz.

The defender looks for the roof of the net and that is a sweet penalty.

6-6

Jordi Alba up next for Inter Miami.

The former Barcelona defender slots home.

Advantage again towards Inter Miami.

Shaq Moore up next.

The US international has to score.

Great spot kick ....

5-5

Kryvtsov scores and puts the pressure back on the home side.

Surridge up next. He needs to score.

No mistake from the English striker.

4-4

Ulloa can win the Leagues Cup for Miami should he score

The No. 13 sees his kick saved, Nashville are alive.

Nashville (Zimmerman) has to score now.

The defender opts for a straight spot kick and scores.

Miller for miami and pops the ball right in the corner.

Next up for Nashville is Godoy.

The man from Panama tucks home.

2-3. Miami still in control

Campana now for Inter Miami.

The No. 9 rolls the ball in with a coolness.

Leal up next for Nashville.

The Costa Rican has his kick saved.

Advantage Miami

1-2

Busquets up next for Miami.

The Spaniard finishes calmly. 

Mukhtar now for Nashville SC.

The German makes no mistake 

1-1 

Messi first up.

The Argentine slots home. 

Inter Miami to shoot first.

Messi and Zimmerman up for the toss to determine who shoots first and at what end.

Penalties we go

The whistle sounds !

What have we just seen... Campana is through, dinks the ball over the keeper and then with the goal gaping slides the ball against the post.

What a miss ! 

Mukhtar fires and Callender delivers another excellent stop pushing the ball over the bar.

We'll have three minutes of time added on.

Ulloa carded as he clips Mukhtar. 

Earlier on this evening, Philadelphia beat Monterrey to secure third place in the competition with a 3-0 win over Rayados.

This has without doubt been the most under par performance from Inter Miami in the Leagues Cup 2023.

The Herons look exhausted.

We're five minutes plus stoppage away from a shoot out to decide the winner of the 2023 Leagues Cup.

Mukhtar is fouled just outside the Miami box.

Ideal territory for the German.

Inches wide.

Leal on for Muyl.

Defensive changes from Tata Martino as it's Nashville who look like the likelier side to bag a late goal.

Ruiz and Ulloa on

Taylor and Arroyo off

Gomez has yet to do anything right in the few times he's been on the ball and there's more problems for Miami as Robert Taylor needs medical assitance.

Nashville almost go ahead as Mukhtar forces a fine save from Callender. 

Is there a winner here as we head into the final quarter of an hour of action?

McCarty and Picault exit

Shaffelburg and Davis on for Nashville

Despite being 36, you cannot give Messi an inch of space as he still has all the creativity to glide past players and his left foot is still the best in the business.

Messi strikes the woodwork !

Into the final twenty minutes and Miami look tired and void of creativity.

Shaq Moore shoots from just outside the box as the Inter Miami changes are made.

Campana on for the poor Martinez and Gomez replaces Cremaschi.

Gomez and Campana poised to come on for Miami.

Nashville the better team now and to be fair, Inter Miami have offered little apart from that flash of genius from Messi.

The Nashville goal

A little messy but the home fans won't care.

The Argentine grimaces as he drives the ball high and wide.

Zimmerman fouls Martinez and it may be just a little but far out for Messi.

The home fans really rallying behind the Tennessee side now.

Less than half an hour to go and the goal has delivered a major shot in the arm for Nashville.

Huge degree of fortune about the goal as the ball was steered into the net by Inter Miami keeper Callender.

Cremaschi almost finds the net from a cross and it almost curls into the Nashville net.

First card of the night and it goes the way of the Nashville SC defender.

Godoy is carded as he collides with Busquets.

Mukhtar makes a great run and is in on goal but the flag is up.

Great play from Alba and Taylor as they work the ball well and Martinez sees his shot blocked.

Picault with the first effort in the second half but it's a wayward effort from the Haiti international.

Don't forget that should the game be level at the end of 90 minutes, then we go straight to a penalty shoot out.

Nashville start the second 45'.

No changes for Nashville at the break with boss Smith feeling that his side are very much in the contest and just need to be a little more clinical in front of goal.

Hany Mukhtar has been underwhelming (again) tonight so far for Nashville and the side from Tennessee will need their talisman to step up if they want to hurt a Inter Miami side who never looked in serious danger.

Messi has Miami ahead

The whistle sounds and Inter Miami are now just 45 minutes away from bagging their first ever silverware.

Still just the 23rd minute Messi goal that divides the teams.

We'll have just one minute of added time.

Into the last minute of the half and the tempo in the past few minutes has dropped with both sides looking to the break to regroup.

Shots on target:

Nashville 1-2 Inter Miami

Surridge has a half chance but fails to get sufficient purchase on his header.

Nashville looking for a way back but Inter Miami now look so much more solid at the back compared to a month ago.

Nashville trailing for the first time at home in Leagues Cup and as things stand, failing to muster any danger. 

We pass the half hour mark and with one flash of brilliance from Messi, the visitors who started well but have wilted a little, lead the way through the Argentine.

The 36-year-old Messi has now scored in every Leagues Cup appearance.

NSH 0-1 MIA

Messi fires Miami ahead.

Messi's tenth goal in 2023 Leagues Cup.

Who else Messi.

The trusty left boot as the Argentine skips by two yellow shirts and blasts home.

Robert Taylor with a fine strike from distance but Panicco does well and palms the ball away.

Amazing long throw from MacNaughton as he finds Zimmerman with the ball but the defender nods straight at the Inter Miami keeper.

It's been a bright start to the game with the final being played at a decent pace despite the high temperature (28C-78F).

First shot of the night falls to Shaq Moore as the US international has an effort from long range.

Possession:

Nashville 26%-74% Inter Miami

Ten minutes gone and a tentative start from both teams as they feel their way into the game. 

Nether keeper yet to be really called into action yet.

Callender rushes from his line and is forced to head away well outside the Inter Miami box.

A sublime ball from Messi finds Alba and the former FC Barcelona man is unable to find Martinez.

Plenty of pink shirts dotted around the stands at Geodis Park with the bulk of the Nashville fans decked out in yellow.

It's Inter Miami having the better of the game and Busquets being singled out for rough treatment from the home side.

Inter Miami start the action

All set in Nashville.

It's the 2023 Leagues Cup final. 

Nashville vs Inter Miami and Lionel Messi.

Surridge makes his first start for Nashville. 

The former Nottingham Forest striker has bagged three goals from the bench and gets a first start tonight.

Gary Smith stating pre-game that it's imperative that his side start well.

National anthem time at Geodis Park.

Kick off just moments away.

The Inter Miami team take to the pitch with Messi leading the side in pink.

Becks and Reese

Inter Miami's David Beckham is at Geodis Park tonight as he poses with Nashville SC minority shareholder Reese Witherspoon.

Match officials

Referee: Ismail Elfath

Ast. Referee 1: Corey Parker

Ast. Referee 2: Kyle Atkins

Fourth official: Pierre-Luc Lauziere

VAR:Óscar Macías Romo

Ast. VAR:Victor Rivas

The teams are currently warming up on the field at Geodis Park. 

Kick off will be at 9:10 pm (ET) with Leagues Cup games for some reason starting ten minutes later than the previously announced ko time.

Leagues Cup 2023 has delivered

It's fair to say before the competition launched last month, there were doubts about how seriously teams would take it or whether or not fans would be interested.

The Messi factor obviously helped but the Leagues Cup has been high on drama and full of goals with 246 having been scored in the 75 game played before today which is a a staggering 3.5 goals per match.

Inter Miami not alone

Plenty of members of the official Inter Miami fan group La Familia have made the trip to Tennessee to watch what they hope will be a key game in the club's short history with the Herons lifting their first trophy.

Why is the final being played at Geodis Park?

Founded as recently as 2018, the Florida side have yet to get their name on a trophy and if they’re going to lift the Leagues Cup, they’ll have to do things the hard way. The clash against Nashville will take place at Geodis Park, meaning the Boys In Gold will have home advantage, which is rarely the case in one-off finals in soccer.

Rather than assigning a neutral venue for the showpiece game, as often happens elsewhere, the Leagues Cup organising committee decided that all matches in the tourmanent between MLS clubs would be hosted by the one that finished higher in the final standings of the 2022 Supporters’ Shield (the only exception was the Round of 32, when group winners played at home). As Nashville finished ninth and Inter Miami 12th, the final will be played in Tennessee.

Nashville XI announced

The home side have confirmed the side who will play in the 2023 Leagues Cup final with new signing Sam Surridge already making an impact with the Englishman getting among the goals already.

For Nashville to tick, German Hany Mukhtar will need to be on song with the No.10 very much the heartbeat for Gary Smith's team.

Inter Miami XI

As expected all three major new signings in Messi, Busquets and Alba start for the visitors. 

Josef Martinez will hope to maintain a scoring run as he is partnered in attack with Messi and Finnish international Robert Taylor. 

Inter Miami arrive

The Herons are in the House at Geodis Park with all the focus on the Argentine.

The Messi effect

The impact Leo Messi has already created at MLS Inter Miami is astounding. The World Cup winner has taken a side who were bottom of the Eastern Conference and who were on a winless run in 11 games and has been instrumental in securing a place in the Leagues Cup final with inspirational performances and nine goals in his six games for the Herons.

Nashville set to sport 'gold'

The home side will be in their classic gold-yellow shirts tonight with Miami set to play in their pink jersey.

LEAGUES CUP 2023

How many titles has Messi won in his professional career?

Messi on cusp of trophy #44.

The Argentine is in line to establish a new record in the game should the Herons prevail in Nashville with the Argentine poised to win his 44th major trophy in the game and eclipse Dani Alves with the Brazilian alos on 43 trophies.

Nashville-Inter Miami: previous meetings

Tonight's final will be the ninth time both sides have faced one another with the men from Tennessee holding the overall advantage with four wins, two losses with two games tied.

The stage is set in Nashville

A 30,000 capacity crowd is expected in Nashville tonight with the Messi factor seeing match tickets snapped up.

Inter Miami possible XI

Official team news is still some way off, but this is what we expect from Tata Martino tonight as his team to face Nashville in the Leagues Cup final

Drake Callender - Jordi Alba, Kamal Miller, Serhiy Kryvtsov, DeAndre Yedlin - Benjamin Cremaschi, Sergio Busquets, Dixon Arroyo - Robert Taylor, Josef Martinez, Lionel Messi

Inter Miami: recent results

August, 2023: Philadelphia 1-4 Inter Miami

August, 2023: Inter Miami 4-0 Charlotte

August, 2023: Dallas 4-4 Inter Miami

August, 2023: Inter Miami 3-1 Orlando

July, 2023: Inter Miami 4-0 Atlanta Utd

Nashville SC recent results

August, 2023: Monterrey 0-2 Nashville

August, 2023: Nashville 5-0 Minnesota Utd

August, 2023: Club América 2-2 Nashville

August, 2023: Cincinnati 1-1 Nashville

July, 2023: Nashville 3-4 Toluca

The MLS-Liga MX tournament began with 47 teams from the two most prominent Concacaf leagues. This year’s tournament, the first edition of the expanded competition, has been hosted in the United States and the MLS teams have been the more impressive, making up six of the eight quarter-finalists.

Both Nashville and Inter Miami became fully fledged members of MLS in 2020 and are just one game away from lifting the new formatted 2023 Leagues Cup.

The action in Nashville gets underway at 9pm (ET) with the first competition offering an option for both MLS clubs to win their first ever makor trophy.

Hello and welcome to our live coverage ahead of the 2023 Leagues Cup final from Geodis Park in Nashville Tennessee.