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Inter Miami vs. Orlando City score: Leagues Cup result, stats as Messi provides dramatic semifinal winner

Kyle Bonn

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Inter Miami vs. Orlando City score: Leagues Cup result, stats as Messi provides dramatic semifinal winner image

Mr. Leagues Cup has once again carried Inter Miami to the brink of Leagues Cup glory.

With dreams of 2023 dancing in his head, Lionel Messi delivered a brace in the final 15 minutes of their derby meeting with Orlando City in the semifinals to secure a 3-1 victory in Ft. Lauderdale on Wednesday.

Orlando City went in front just before halftime through a controversial goal by Marco Pasalic, who appeared to potentially contact the ball with his arm before firing it into the net, but a VAR review proved inconclusive and the goal stood.

The chippy match progressed without Inter Miami generating a true quality chance in front of goal, but Messi was ultimately inevitable. Tadeo Allende came off the bench and won a penalty with 15 minutes to go, which allowed Messi to equalize from the spot and also resulted in a second yellow card for Orlando City defender David Brekalo.

From there, Inter Miami pushed hard to win it before a potential penalty shootout at full-time, and Messi provided the goods once again. With just one minute remaining before added time, Messi and Jordi Alba played a one-two to unlock the Orlando City back line and give Inter Miami the lead. Herons substitute Telasco Segovia struck two minutes later to seal the scoreline, and the Herons were officially into the Leagues Cup final shortly after.

Just as they did two years prior in Messi's first showing with the club, Inter Miami advance to the 2025 Leagues Cup final. They will play either the LA Galaxy or Seattle Sounders, who contest their semifinal later tonight, in the title match.

The Sporting News followed the Inter Miami vs. Orlando City match live, providing score updates, commentary, and analysis.

JUMP TO: Latest live updates | Team news and lineups | Full match stats

Inter Miami vs. Orlando City final score

 ScoreGoal scorers
Inter Miami3Messi (77', pen; 89'),
Segovia (90+1')
Orlando City1Pasalic (45+1')

Location: Chase Stadium (Ft. Lauderdale, FL)
Referee: Walter Lopez (GUA)

Starting lineups:

Inter Miami (4-3-3, right to left): 19. Ustari (GK) — 17. Fray, 2. Lujan (Segovia, 73'), 37. Falcon, 18. Allen — 42. Bright, 6. Busquets, 7. De Paul —10. Messi, 9. Suarez, 11. B. Rodriguez (Allende, 65').

Orlando City (4-2-3-1, right to left): 1. Gallese (GK) — 30. Freeman, 15. Schlegel, 6. Jansson, 4. Brekalo (red card, 74') — 20. Atuesta (Gerbet, 62'), 5. Araujo — 87. Pasalic (Marin, 80'), 10. Ojeda, 77. Angulo — 9. Muriel (Enrique, 80')

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Inter Miami vs. Orlando City stats

Inter MiamiStatOrlando City
14Shots11
6Shots on target4
59%Possession41%
482Accurate passes333
4Corners3
10Fouls13
4Yellow cards3
0Red cards1

Inter Miami vs. Orlando City live updates, highlights from Leagues Cup

FULLTIME: Inter Miami 3-1 Orlando City

Inter Miami advance to the Leagues Cup final!!!!! After winning the 2023 trophy, they will play for a second in 2025!

The Herons were far from their best, as Orlando City's physicality gave them plenty of trouble, but in the end they found a way to harness their opponent's aggression and use it to their advantage. Lionel Messi proves inevitable once again, first scoring from the penalty spot before striking the winner close to full-time.

A thrilling match, and Orlando City gave it their all, but ultimately couldn't finish the deal through the full 90 minutes!

90+3 min: Yuck. Sergio Busquets slides in and concedes a foul at the top of the penalty area with a bad tackle. Lionel Messi was also shown a yellow card, likely for dissent.

Orlando City send the free kick wide, and with three more minutes of added time remaining, this one's almost surely over.

90+1 min: GOAL! INTER MIAMI! TADEO SEGOVIA SEALS IT WITH A SENSATIONAL THIRD GOAL FOR INTER MIAMI! He plays a truly delicious one-two with Luis Suarez, dribbling in and out of Orlando City defenders before a one-on-one finish against Pedro Gallese! This one's over!

89th min: GOAL! INTER MIAMI! LIONEL MESSI SCORES WHAT IS SURELY THE WINNING GOAL FOR INTER MIAMI!!!!!!

Messi penetrates the top of the penalty area where he proceeds to play a one-two with Jordi Alba, which unlocks the man-down Orlando City defense and ends with Mr. Leagues Cup burying the chance! He's at the double, and Inter Miami are surely on to the final!

87th min: Chance, Inter Miami! JORDI ALBA MISSES! A beautiful one-touch passing clinic by Inter Miami ends with Alba shooting from a tight angle 10 yards out, but his effort clips the outside of the near post! So close to a winner!

Orlando City just have to get this to full-time, because Leagues Cup matches do not go to extra-time, they go straight to penalties.

84th min: Chance, Inter Miami! OOF, Tadeo Allende takes a wallop to the side of the head as he leaps to meet a cross. Pedro Gallese jumps to meet the challenge, and his two-handed punch catches Allende. That arguably could have been called a foul, and subsequently a penalty.

VAR did give it a look, and play continues. That's largely called in favor of the goalkeeper throughout global football, but maybe the status quo should change. Allende pleads his case as Gallese takes his time arranging his equipment before continuing play.

79th min: Luis Suarez is shown a yellow card for a high boot while trying to meet a cross from deep into the penalty area. He complains, of course.

Jordi Alba is feeling the back of his right hamstring. He only just returned from an injury he suffered in the quarterfinal match. We'll see if he's able to gut it out the rest of the match.

74th min: PENALTY, INTER MIAMI! Jordi Alba has won Inter Miami a chance to level the score! David Brekalo holds back Tadeo Allende as he goes to head the ball on net! It's a really soft call, all things considered, as Allende threw himself at Jordi Alba's cross, and there's very little if any contact between the two. How fortunate for the hosts!

And it's a double whammy for Orlando City here, as Brekalo is shown his second yellow card, which is a RED CARD, ORLANDO CITY! He's off!

Stepping up to take is Lionel Messi, and....GOAL! INTER MIAMI! The captain loops the ball into the net past a diving Pedro Gallese, who guessed correctly but couldn't reach it! We're level, and now Inter Miami have a man advantage!

71st min: Cesar Araujo is booked for providing a brick wall which Lionel Messi ran into on the ball. It's a free-kick in trademark Messi range, about 25 yards out shaded just to the right of center. Messi steps up to take the free-kick, and loops it over the wall and over the crossbar. There's very little bend on the ball, and doesn't come terribly close to troubling Pedro Gallese's net in the end.

65th min: Both sides make their first substitution as Tadeo Allende replaces Baltasar Rodriguez for Inter Miami, shortly after Joran Gerbet takes over for the booked Eduard Atuesta.

Ian Fray is shown a delayed yellow card for a trailing hand to the face of David Brekalo, which is the same thing Brekalo was booked for earlier in the game.

57th min: Chance, Inter Miami! LUIS SUAREZ MISSES! Jordi Alba puts a cross perfectly on a platter in front of goal, but Suarez whiffs completely! He fails to make any kind of contact, even with the goal gaping! It comes moments after the Busquets incident, and could have been a one-two punch against Orlando City, but the visitors are let off the hook!

56th min: Sergio Busquets somehow gets away with murder. He has to defend Luis Muriel one-on-one on the counter, and throws a hip in on the Orlando City attacker as he was cutting laterally across the top of the 18-yard box. Muriel goes down, and it appears the incident is just inside the top corner of the penalty area, but miraculously referee Walter Lopez waves play on.

VAR gives it a curiously quick look and decides not to intervene! That's astonishing.

52nd min: Inter Miami's issues with referee Walter Lopez continue as Luis Suarez goes down in the penalty area and screams for a penalty, but nothing is called. Rodrigo Schlegel gives Suarez a little elbow, but ultimately the cross is behind the Inter Miami attacker anyways, so there's nothing there. VAR gave it a quick look, and play is waved on.

49th min: Baltasar Rodriguez is freed down the left by a delicious Jordi Alba flick. Rodrigo Schlegel steps in front at the top corner of the penalty area and gets bulldozed by Rodriguez who is at full speed. A foul is called and Schlegel picks up a yellow card, which gives Lionel Messi a beautiful set-piece chance.

It's from an awkwardly tight angle, but it's still well within shooting range. Instead, Messi tries to drive the ball low in front of goal for a teammate, but it fails to beat the first man. A disappointing effort to say the least.

2nd half kickoff: They're back under way in Ft. Lauderdale, as Lionel Messi looks to carry his team back from a one-goal deficit at the break. No changes for either side.

This is the type of moment which Lionel Messi has thrived in his time at Inter Miami. He's only just come back from injury, but the Herons will know they must lean on their superstar if they are to make a comeback in this match.

HALFTIME: Inter Miami 0-1 Orlando City

An eventful first half ends with Orlando City taking a very late lead via Marco Pasalic! Both sides had good chances, but it seemed that Ivan Angulo's huge miss earlier would leave the sides level at the break.

Then, the decisive moment struck as Pasalic buried his chance, aided by a friendly bounce and a kind VAR review. Both sides have had their issues with referee Walter Lopez, but Inter Miami could possibly have a gripe with the review process after that late opener.

What will Lionel Messi bring to the table in the second half? He has been his usual electric self so far, but was a bit stunted by Orlando City's physical play, which the referee largely allowed to proceed unpunished.

45+1 min: GOAL! ORLANDO CITY! Marco Pasalic opens the scoring!!! A vertical feed from Luis Muriel threads Pasalic in on goal, and while Maxi Falcon steps in and gets a touch on the ball, it bobbles off both players and returns right back to Pasalic's feet, at which point he slams it into the net!

There's a very long VAR check, because the ball does appear to possibly clip the left arm of Pasalic after Falcon's touch. Any touch of the arm by the goal scorer would by rule nullify the goal, intentional or not, but the video is inconclusive and the goal stands!!!

32nd min: Chance, Orlando City! Ivan Angulo forces a near-post save from Oscar Ustari! He gets free down the left, and rips a shot that is well placed but ultimately simple for Ustari who simply drops to his side and makes the stop.

Rodrigo de Paul and Ian Fray on Inter Miami's right are having a tough time communicating defensively. Fray had gone forward on a strong run, which left him out of position for the return attack.

30th min: Chance, Inter Miami! Sergio Busquets looks to clip a ball for Lionel Messi on the run, and Messi tumbles to the turf under a defensive challenge, arms in the air looking for a penalty.

No call is made, but Inter Miami get right back on the ball, and Luis Suarez fires a left-footed shot just wide of the far post! He looked to have found the window for the shot, but fires it just inches wide! Both teams coming so, so close to the opener!

23rd min: Chance, Orlando City! OH DEAR! IVAN ANGULO MISSES A GLORIOUS CHANCE TO TAKE THE LEAD!

Straight off the Inter Miami corner, Orlando City snatch the ball and counter, playing Angulo clean through on goal! He charges at full speed through the entire attacking half all by himself on the ball, but when finally confronted by Oscar Ustari off his line, he puts the shot wide right! That HAS TO BE in the back of the net! Instead, Angulo has his face in his hands!

22nd min: Chance, Inter Miami! Rodrigo de Paul forces a full-stretch save by Pedro Gallese, who dives to tip the shot out for a corner! It was seeking the top-left corner of the net, and while Gallese seemed to be stuck in the mud and reacted late, he still gets there to palm the shot away!

Inter Miami are now well on top of the game's momentum, as they are holding all the possession and attacking threat.

18th min: The referee has little choice but to show David Brekalo a yellow card for a slight whack to the face of Rodrigo de Paul while trying to hold off the Inter Miami midfielder. Again, there's not much contact, but he does reach back and swipe at de Paul's face, and the referee knows he has to show the card to keep a lid on the match.

Then seconds later Eduard Atuesta picks up a stonewall yellow card for a bad, late tackle on de Paul. That's a nasty one, and Oscar Pareja has the look of frustration on his face knowing two of his players have triggered needless bookings for very little gain.

There's a real chippy nature building in this derby, which isn't at all surprising.

17th min: Now Luis Suarez goes down under an elbow to the face from Rodrigo Schlegel while dribbling down the left. There's certainly contact, but it's extremely minimal, and there's really nothing there. VAR has a check, and Suarez is pitching a fit, but no further action is taken.

15th min: Inter Miami seem to have weathered the early storm, and are starting to assert themselves in midfield. While they have yet to generate any final third presence, they are looking to stem Orlando City's hot start. Luis Suarez wins a foul on the left touchline, and Sergio Busquets pleads for a card, which does not come.

9th min: Chance, Orlando City! Martin Ojeda takes a shot from a tight angle and forces a great save by Oscar Ustari! He gets by Gonzalo Lujon down the left and rips it from the edge of the six-yard box, but Ustari has the angle covered! A really high-quality save on a shot that looks destined for the top-right corner.

7th min: Orlando City has been on the front foot so far, earning a pair of early corners and putting pressure on the Inter Miami midfield. No chances on the Inter Miami goal yet, however, as Oscar Ustari comes out to collect a cross that's just out of reach of Luis Muriel.

Kickoff: They're under way at Chase Stadium! 

While a trophy is not quite on the line just yet, there are still significant stakes to this match. The winner will qualify directly to next year's CONCACAF Champions Cup, while the loser will have to win their third-place match if they wish to be a part of the competition next season.

From there, winners of the CONCACAF Champions Cup each year qualify for the next FIFA Club World Cup, which comes with an enormous pay day. Inter Miami, for example, banked $11.5 million for their brief participation in the 2025 edition on home soil.

Inter Miami vs. Orlando City: Pre-match commentary, analysis, more

15 mins to kickoff: Lionel Messi will have his work cut out for him against Orlando City goalkeeper Pedro Gallese. Gallese scored the decisive penalty to send Orlando City to the semifinals, shortly after saving one from Toluca's goalkeeper.

Messi is quite familiar with Gallese, who has been the regular starting goalkeeper for Peru for the last 11 years. Messi has only scored in one game against Gallese at the national team level, when he bagged a first-half brace in a 2-0 World Cup qualifying win back in 2023.

Otherwise, Messi has come up empty in the other three matches they faced off. Argentina still won three of those four meetings while they drew 0-0 in the other.

30 mins to kickoff: Orlando City head coach Oscar Pareja kept things even keel ahead of this match, saying "we don't prepare the team in any different way.

"I don't recognize how we are going to prepare different in a league game or here, knowing as a professional we have to push as hard as we can every single minute of our career."

No nonsense from the boss ahead of this one. Pareja has received some criticism for failing to get Orlando City over the hump into a bona fide MLS title contender in his time at the club, but he has largely been successful against his Florida rivals in his career. A Leagues Cup crown could certainly give Pareja some tangible credibility moving forward, just as winning the 2022 U.S. Open Cup did for him.

45 mins to kickoff: For Orlando City, their lineup is entirely business as usual. USMNT starter Alex Freeman, who is son of former NFL player Antonio Freeman, starts at right-back after being called up by Mauricio Pochettino to the September U.S. squad.

They have been without talisman Duncan Maguire, who has been missing since suffering a shoulder injury in May, but he is a welcome presence on the bench as the club is desperate to get his goal scoring prowess back to full strength.

1 hour to kickoff: The Inter Miami lineup is in, and Lionel Messi STARTS! It certainly felt things were trending in that direction, but there was never a certainty that he would be included from the beginning of the match. It's a huge boost for Inter Miami, who have Messi on hand for the first time in their three matches against Orlando City this season.

Also in the XI is Jordi Alba, while new signing Baltasar Rodriguez earns the start opposite Messi out wide left. It's just the second start for Rodriguez since joining the club on loan from Racing in March.

1 hour 15 mins to kick: Adding to the fuel in tonight's rivalry is the fact that Orlando City have blown Inter Miami out twice this season, with 3-0 and 4-1 wins helping them to a fifth-place spot in the Eastern Conference standings, one place above Inter Miami.

Lionel Messi did not play in either of those games, and he is expected to play tonight. The Leagues Cup has billed this as "the most important Florida derby to date" and many in the media have echoed that. It's certainly the biggest stage they've matched up!

1 hour 30 mins to kick: Since the club's inception, Inter Miami have played Orlando City the second-most of any club, with the two clashing 17 times throughout their history. Orlando City have been kings of the Florida derby, winning nearly half of those matches, a record of eight victories, four draws, and five defeats.

Yet Inter Miami won the only previous Leagues Cup meeting, defeating Orlando City 3-1 in the group stage of the 2023 tournament, which the Herons would later go on to lift the trophy. Orlando did win a penalty shootout in their first-ever knockout matchup, coming in the 2022 U.S. Open Cup Round of 16.

1 hour 45 mins to kick: Sergio Busquets has floated retirement of late, but today he will reach a milestone, becoming the fifth Inter Miami player to reach 100 all-time appearances for the club if he takes the field!

2 hours to kickoff: We are on Messi-watch ahead of this Leagues Cup fixture, like we are seemingly every Inter Miami match these days. The 38-year-old's hamstrings have lacked cooperation as he continues his career in the United States, and problems have flared up yet again in recent weeks.

It does feel likely that Messi, and his teammate Jordi Alba, will be available for this match. The question seems largely around whether he will be fit enough to start or if he will be left to come in late off the bench.

Inter Miami vs. Orlando City lineups, team news

Lionel Messi picked up a hamstring injury in the league phase, and while he returned to MLS action briefly, the injury flared up and left him sidelined again, missing the quarterfinal. However, both he and Jordi Alba, who picked up a knee injury during the quarterfinal victory, have recovered in time to start tonight's match.

Head coach Javier Mascherano is suspended for this match after being shown a red card in the quarterfinal win over Tigres.

The boss decided to rest a number of regular starters for the weekend's 1-1 draw with D.C. United on Saturday, including Sergio Busquets, Rodrigo de Paul, and Luis Suarez, all of whom came off the bench, but all three key players return to the starting XI here. New signing Baltasar Rodriguez gets just his second start for the club since joining on loan from Racing in March.

Inter Miami starting lineup (4-3-3): Ustari (GK) — Fray, Lujan, Falcon, Alba — Bright, Busquets, De Paul — Messi, Suarez, B. Rodriguez.

Inter Miami subs: Novo (GK), Yarbrough (GK), Weigandt, Sailor, Aviles, Allen, D. Ruiz, Cremaschi, Segovia, Morales, Picault, Allende.

Orlando City have felt the loss of striker Duncan McGuire, who has been out still with a shoulder injury suffered in late May, but he surprisingly returns to the matchday squad with a welcome spot on the bench.

Head coach Oscar Pareja rotated a few players in the damaging 5-1 loss at Nashville over the weekend, but the likes of Alex Freeman, Luis Muriel, and Marco Pasalic should return to the lineup. Muriel had an eventful 16 minutes off the bench in the Nashville defeat, scoring a goal before being sent off. He will be available for this Leagues Cup match before serving a suspension in upcoming MLS action for the red card.

They are down in midfield as Peruvian veteran Wilder Cartagena has missed the entire season with an Achilles tear.

Orlando City starting lineup (4-2-3-1): Gallese (GK) — Freeman, Schlegel, Jansson, Brekalo — Atuesta, Araujo — Pasalic, Ojeda, Angulo — Muriel.

Orlando City subs: Mercado (GK), Otero (GK), Enrique, Gerbet, Guske, Marin, McGuire, Rodriguez, Smith, Spicer, Taifi, Thorhallsson.

Kyle Bonn

Kyle Bonn is a Syracuse University broadcast journalism graduate with over a decade of experience covering soccer globally. Kyle specializes in soccer tactics and betting, with a degree in data analytics. Kyle also does TV broadcasts for Wake Forest soccer, and has had previous stops with NBC Soccer and IMG College. When not covering the game, he has long enjoyed loyalty to the New York Giants, Yankees, and Fulham. Kyle enjoys playing racquetball and video games when not watching or covering sports.