OHIO: Inter Miami produced another dominant playoff performance as Tadeo Allende’s second-half brace and a masterful display from Lionel Messi powered a 4-0 win over FC Cincinnati in Sunday’s Eastern Conference semifinal.
Messi was at his brilliant best, scoring once and providing three assists, while 19-year-old Mateo Silvetti added a goal and an assist to continue his breakout postseason for the No. 3 seed. The victory sends Miami into its first Eastern Conference final, where it will face the winner of the later semifinal between top-seeded Philadelphia and No. 5 New York City FC.
For Cincinnati, the defeat marked a third straight postseason elimination at home and left the club one step short of a second East final appearance.
Miami’s win mirrored its 4-0 triumph over Nashville SC two weeks earlier, further underlining the team’s playoff momentum. Manager Javier Mascherano opted not to return striker Luis Suarez to the starting XI following his red-card suspension in the previous round, despite the Uruguayan forward tallying 10 goals and 10 assists in the regular season.
With Allende in form and Messi orchestrating flawlessly, Inter Miami now stands just one victory away from its first MLS Cup Final appearance.
