2023 Leagues Cup final

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2023 Leagues Cup final
Nashville SC vs Portland Timbers by cornfield948 (20220705094311).jpg
Geodis Park in Nashville hosted the final.
Event 2023 Leagues Cup
Nashville SC Inter Miami CF
United States United States
1 1
Inter Miami CF won 10–9 on penalties
Date August 19, 2023
Venue Geodis Park, Nashville, Tennessee
Man of the Match Drake Callender (Inter Miami CF)
Referee Ismail Elfath (United States)
Attendance 30,109
Weather Fair
81 °F (27 °C)
58% humidity[1]
← 2021
2024 →

The 2023 Leagues Cup final was the final match of the third edition of the Leagues Cup, a soccer tournament played between clubs from Major League Soccer (MLS) and Liga MX. The match was played on August 19, 2023, at Geodis Park in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. It was contested by hosts Nashville SC and Inter Miami CF, both recent expansion teams who had yet to win a league trophy.

Miami took the lead in the first half through a goal from Lionel Messi, while Fafà Picault equalized after half-time for Nashville; the match was tied 1–1 in regulation. In the ensuing penalty shoot-out, Inter Miami CF won 10–9 with the final round contested by the two goalkeepers for both teams. Miami's goalkeeper Drake Callender won man of the match honors for his save on Elliot Panicco and successful penalty to win the title for his team.[2]

Road to the final

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Further information: 2023 Leagues Cup

The Leagues Cup is an annual soccer tournament for clubs from Major League Soccer (MLS) in the United States and Canada and Liga MX of Mexico. The 2023 edition, the third in the tournament's history, was the first to be expanded to include all 47 teams from the two leagues.[3] MLS and Liga MX both paused their regular seasons for the duration of the Leagues Cup, which began with a group stage in mid-July and would conclude with the final in mid-August. The entire tournament was hosted in the United States and Canada.[4] Both finalists qualified for the 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup.[5]

Both finalists, Nashville SC and Inter Miami CF, entered MLS as expansion teams in the 2020 season.[6] The most recent of their six regular season meetings was on May 17, 2023, which Nashville hosted and won 2–1.[7] Six days later, the two sides met again in the U.S. Open Cup round of 16, which Inter Miami CF hosted and won 2–1.[8] The only previous U.S. club to play in a Leagues Cup final was Seattle Sounders FC, who lost in the 2021 edition.[9]

Nashville SC

File:USMNT vs. Trinidad and Tobago (48124887166) (cropped) 2.jpg
Nashville SC captain Walker Zimmerman, who scored in the round of 16 and round of 32

Nashville SC had qualified for the MLS Cup Playoffs in its first three seasons in the league and had advanced as far as the quarterfinals in the U.S. Open Cup, but had yet to win a trophy.[10] The team finished tenth in the 2022 regular season standings and were seeded into the Central 4 group alongside Toluca and the Colorado Rapids.[11] Prior to the Leagues Cup break, Nashville SC were fifth in the Supporters' Shield race but had lost five of their six most recent matches.[10][12]

In their opening match against Colorado, Nashville won 2–1 with goals from substitutes Hany Mukhtar and Jacob Shaffelburg in the second half before conceding late to the Rapids.[13] The team gained and lost its lead twice in the first half of their match against Toluca, which included a penalty awarded in stoppage time by the video assistant referee. Toluca scored again the second half and won 4–3;[14] Nashville finished second in the group and advanced to the knockout stage after Colorado's 4–1 loss to Toluca.[15]

The team opened the knockout round against FC Cincinnati, the leaders in the 2023 Supporters' Shield race and host of the match. After a scoreless first half, Nashville took the lead through a tap-in by Anibal Godoy but conceded a penalty kick that was converted by Brandon Vázquez. The match finished at 1–1 in regulation time and was immediately followed by a penalty shootout that Nashville won 5–4 after a save on Matt Miazga's shot.[16] The team returned home to host Mexico's Club América in the round of 16; Walker Zimmerman scored the opening goal for Nashville in the second half, which was followed by an equalizer from Diego Valdés for América. In stoppage time, América earned a penalty that Julián Quiñones converted for a 2–1 lead, but Nashville's debutant striker Sam Surridge equalized in the ninth minute to send the match to a penalty shootout.[17] Nashville manager Gary Smith substituted goalkeeper Elliot Panicco in for Joe Willis, repeating a strategy used in the round of 32 shootout. In the sixth round, a shot by Nashville defender Jack Maher was initially saved by Luis Malagón and triggered a celebration from América and several pitch invaders until a video assistant referee check determined that Malagón had illegally left the touchline before Maher had taken his shot. The penalty was retaken and scored by Maher and extended the shootout, which ultimately ended with a 6–5 win for Nashville after Jonathan dos Santos missed for América and Daniel Lovitz converted.[17][18]

Nashville SC advanced to the quarterfinals and won 5–0 against Minnesota United FC, who were down to 10 players after defender D. J. Taylor was sent off with a red card in the 34th minute. The team's two first-half goals were created by Jacob Shaffelburg's crosses into the box, which found Shaq Moore and Teal Bunbury; three goals within a nine-minute span followed after half-time.[19] Goalkeeper Joe Willis left the team after the quarterfinal match due to personal reasons and was replaced as starter by Panicco.[20] Nashville then defeated CF Monterrey 2–0 in the semifinals with goals from substitutes Surridge and Picault in the second half while the team managed fatigue and injuries.[21] It was the first defeat for Monterrey against an MLS team in a knockout competition;[22] Monterrey had traveled over 7,600 miles (12,200 km) during the tournament, which the club's president complained was an unfair advantage for MLS teams.[23][3]

Inter Miami CF

File:Lionel-Messi-Argentina-2022-FIFA-World-Cup (cropped).jpg
Lionel Messi made his debut for Inter Miami CF in the 2023 Leagues Cup

Inter Miami CF entered MLS as an expansion team in 2020 and had yet to advance to a prior tournament final.[24] The team finished twelfth in the 2022 regular season standings and were seeded into the South 3 group.[11] Before the Leagues Cup break, Miami were at the bottom of the Eastern Conference in regular season play with 18 points in 22 matches and on an 11-match winless streak.[25] During the 2023 summer transfer window, the club signed forward Lionel Messi, midfielder Sergio Busquets, and defender Jordi Alba, all former FC Barcelona players and among the world's best in their positions;[26] Inter Miami CF also signed a trio of young South American prospects to under-22 Designated Player contracts and offloaded veteran players to keep salary costs manageable and under the cap.[27] Head coach Phil Neville was fired on June 1 and temporarily replaced by assistant Javier Morales until Gerardo "Tata" Martino joined in July.[28]

To prepare for the Leagues Cup, an additional 3,000 seats were added to DRV PNK Stadium, the temporary home of Inter Miami CF in the suburb of Fort Lauderdale.[29] Miami won 2–1 in their Leagues Cup debut against Cruz Azul with the winning goal, a stoppage time free kick, scored by Messi in his first appearance for the club. The team then won 4–0 against Atlanta United FC with braces for Messi and Robert Taylor and finished atop of the South 3 group. Inter Miami remained at home to play against in-state rivals Orlando City SC in the round of 32 and won 3–1 with two goals from Messi. The team's first away match of the tournament, against FC Dallas in the round of 16, was tied 4–4 in regulation time and was decided in a penalty shootout. Miami won the shootout 5–3 and advanced to the quarterfinals, where they defeated Charlotte FC 4–0. In the semifinals, Inter Miami won 4–1 on the road to the Philadelphia Union with goals from Josef Martínez, Messi, Alba, and David Ruiz.[30]

During their six matches in the Leagues Cup, Inter Miami CF scored 21 goals—one fewer than they did in their 22 regular season matches prior to Messi's arrival.[24] Messi entered the final as the tournament's top goalscorer with nine goals, two ahead of Bongokuhle Hlongwane.[24][31]

Summary of results

Note: In all results below, the score of the finalist is given first (H: home; A: away). All matches were decided through a penalty shootout (p) if scores were tied after regulation time.
United States Nashville SC Round United States Inter Miami CF
Opponent Result Group stage Opponent Result
United States Colorado Rapids 2–1 (H) Matchday 1 Mexico Cruz Azul 2–1 (H)
Mexico Toluca 3–4 (H) Matchday 2 United States Atlanta United FC 4–0 (H)
Bye Matchday 3 Bye
Group Central 4 runner-up
Pos Team Pld Pts
Source: Leagues Cup
 Final standings Group South 3 winner
Pos Team Pld Pts
Source: Leagues Cup
Opponent Result Knockout stage Opponent Result
United States FC Cincinnati 1–1 (5–4 p) (H) Round of 32 United States Orlando City SC 3–1 (H)
Mexico América 2–2 (6–5 p) (H) Round of 16 United States FC Dallas 4–4 (5–3 p) (A)
United States Minnesota United FC 5–0 (H) Quarterfinals United States Charlotte FC 4–0 (H)
Mexico Monterrey 2–0 (H) Semifinals United States Philadelphia Union 4–1 (A)

Venue

The Leagues Cup final was played at Geodis Park, a 30,000-seat stadium in Nashville, Tennessee. The stadium is the largest soccer-specific venue in the United States and home to Nashville SC, who hosted due to their higher finish in the 2022 Supporters' Shield standings.[8][32] Ticket sales for the final began with access for season ticket holders on the morning of August 16 and the general public in the afternoon.[33] By the end of the day, resale tickets on Ticketmaster and secondary markets ranged from $484 to $12,000.[34][35]

Broadcasting

The final was broadcast worldwide in English and Spanish on MLS Season Pass, a streaming service run by Apple as part of their Apple TV+ brand.[36] The English commentary team comprised play-by-play commentator Jake Zivin, color analyst Taylor Twellman, sideline reporter Katie Witham, and a studio team led by host Maurice Edu. The Spanish team included Andrés Agulla for play-by-play, Marcelo Balboa, and Antonella González.[37] TelevisaUnivision also produced a Spanish broadcast to be aired on television in the United States by TUDN and UniMás and in Mexico on Canal 5 and TUDN. This broadcast was also streamed on Vix in Mexico.[38]

Match

Details

August 19, 2023 (2023-08-19)
8:00 p.m. CDT
Nashville SC United States 1–1 United States Inter Miami CF
https://www.leaguescup.com/competitions/leagues-cup/2023/matches/nshvsmia-08-19-2023/
  Penalties  
*Mukhtar Penalty scored 9–10 *Penalty scored Messi
Geodis Park
Attendance: 30,109
Referee: Ismail Elfath (United States)
Nashville SC
Inter Miami CF
GK 30 United States Elliot Panicco
RB 18 United States Shaq Moore
CB 25 United States Walker Zimmerman (c)
CB 3 Canada Lukas MacNaughton
LB 2 United States Daniel Lovitz
RM 19 United States Alex Muyl Substituted off 82'
CM 6 United States Dax McCarty Substituted off 72'
CM 20 Panama Aníbal Godoy Booked 54'
LM 7 Haiti Fafà Picault Substituted off 72'
CF 9 England Sam Surridge
CF 10 Germany Hany Mukhtar
Substitutes:
GK 1 United States Joe Willis
GK 67 United States Ben Martino
DF 5 United States Jack Maher
DF 16 England Laurence Wyke
DF 22 United States Josh Bauer
DF 23 United States Taylor Washington
MF 8 Costa Rica Randall Leal Substituted in 82'
MF 26 United States Luke Haakenson
MF 27 Cameroon Brian Anunga
MF 54 United States Sean Davis Substituted in 72'
FW 12 United States Teal Bunbury
FW 14 Canada Jacob Shaffelburg Substituted in 72'
Manager:
England Gary Smith
300px
GK 1 United States Drake Callender
RB 2 United States DeAndre Yedlin
CB 27 Ukraine Serhiy Kryvtsov
CB 31 Canada Kamal Miller
LB 18 Spain Jordi Alba
DM 5 Spain Sergio Busquets
CM 30 United States Benjamin Cremaschi Substituted off 68'
CM 3 Ecuador Dixon Arroyo Substituted off 81'
RW 10 Argentina Lionel Messi (c)
CF 17 Venezuela Josef Martínez Substituted off 68'
LW 16 Finland Robert Taylor Substituted off 81'
Substitutes:
GK 29 United States CJ dos Santos
GK 99 United States Cole Jensen
DF 4 Sweden Christopher McVey
DF 6 Argentina Tomás Avilés
DF 20 Republic of Ireland Harvey Neville
DF 32 United States Noah Allen
MF 8 Paraguay Diego Gómez Substituted in 68'
MF 11 Argentina Facundo Farías
MF 13 Mexico Víctor Ulloa Booked 89' Substituted in 81'
MF 41 Honduras David Ruiz Substituted in 81'
FW 9 Ecuador Leonardo Campana Substituted in 68'
FW 19 United States Robbie Robinson
Manager:
Argentina Gerardo Martino

Man of the Match:
Drake Callender (Inter Miami CF)[39]

Assistant referees:
Corey Parker (United States)
Kyle Atkins (United States)
Fourth official:
Pierre-Luc Lauzière (Canada)
Video assistant referee:
Óscar Macías Romo (Mexico)
Assistant video assistant referee:
Victor Rivas (United States)

Match rules[40]

  • 90 minutes of play with no extra time.
  • Penalty shootout if scores still level.
  • Maximum of twelve named substitutes.
  • Maximum of five substitutions to be made during three windows (including half-time). Two additional substitutions are available for concussed players and do not count towards the five substitutions or three windows.

Post-match

As winner of the Leagues Cup final, Inter Miami CF earned $2 million in prize money and qualified directly for the round of 16 in the 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup.[41] It was the first trophy to be won by the club.[42] Miami goalkeeper Drake Callender was named the man of the match for his saves and deciding penalty kick in the shootout. Lionel Messi was awarded the Best Player of the tournament and was also the top scorer with 10 goals; it was the seventh consecutive match that he had scored in since arriving at Inter Miami CF.[42][43] The Leagues Cup was the 44th trophy of Messi's professional career, which set the record for most decorated player in history.[43]

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 24.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  26. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  27. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  39. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  41. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  42. ↑ 42.0 42.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  43. ↑ 43.0 43.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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