Messi relishing Inter Miami’s Champions Cup qualification
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Messi relishing Inter Miami’s Champions Cup qualification

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MIAMI, Florida – Life at Inter Miami for Argentina superstar and 2022 FIFA World Cup winner Lionel Messi could not have started better, as the South Florida team has marched their way to the Final of the 2023 Leagues Cup, where they will face Nashville SC on Saturday.

This past Tuesday in the semifinals against the Philadelphia Union, Messi scored his ninth goal since arriving to Inter Miami to help pace his new side to a 4-1 victory.

Not only did the win clinch Inter Miami’s first ever Final, but it secured a first ever berth for the club in the Concacaf Champions Cup.

The chance to get their first crack at the Concacaf Champions Cup, which is the qualification route to the FIFA Club World Cup, was a goal that was set prior to the start of the Leagues Cup tournament by Messi and the rest of the Inter Miami team led by new Head Coach Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino.

“When I arrived, I arrived with a lot of hope, with a lot of happiness and yes, it’s a surprise that we are playing for a final, but we had prepared ourselves for it, to try to compete and try to achieve this title. We viewed ourselves as capable of doing it,” said Messi in a press conference on Thursday.

“I think that the team has experienced big growth since Tata’s arrival, and we are very happy to have been able to accomplish the first objective which was to be one of the three teams that qualified for the next ‘Concachampions’, and now we can enjoy a final,” added Messi.

The winner of Saturday’s Leagues Cup Final between Inter Miami and Nashville SC will advance directly to the Round of 16 of the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup, while the runner-up will begin 2024 Champions Cup in Round One.

Earlier on Saturday Liga MX side Monterrey will face the Philadelphia Union in the Third-Place Match.

Should the Union win, they will secure the third Champions Cup berth from the Leagues Cup.

Monterrey are already qualified for the 2024 Champions Cup, so in the event of a win for Rayados against Philadelphia, that Champions Cup berth will go to Club Leon as the non-qualified team that has the next best number of regular season points in the overall season (Apertura and Clausura for Liga MX).

The Union or Club Leon would begin the 2024 Champions Cup in Round One.

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