Inter Miami: Messi carries Miami into Eastern Conference final

At 38, Lionel Messi delivered a masterful performance — a goal and three assists — to steer Inter Miami into its first Eastern Conference final.

Inter Miami experienced a historic night in Cincinnati. Driven by a dazzling Lionel Messi, the Florida club won 4-0 and qualified for its very first Eastern Conference final, a major milestone in the club’s history. At 38, the Argentine reminded everyone he remains one of the most decisive players on the planet. He opened the scoring with a rare header, then turned into the team’s playmaker by providing three assists with surgical precision — two for Mateo Silvetti and one for Tadeo Allende. A masterful performance against a team Miami had never beaten in the regular season.

Messi keeps piling up MLS records: with already six goals and six assists in these playoffs, he becomes the most prolific player ever in a single campaign, surpassing the 1999 mark set by Ante Razov (10). The Argentine icon also crosses the impressive threshold of 1,300 career goal contributions, a staggering total combining 896 goals and 404 assists. Now focused on the conference final against Philadelphia, Miami can dream even bigger. With Messi in such sublime form, the pursuit of a first MLS Cup final has never seemed more realistic.