Lionel Messi guides Inter Miami to dramatic win in Leagues Cup opener vs. Atlas as Rodrigo De Paul makes debut

The more things change, the more they remain the same for Inter Miami Lionel Messi feed the herons over Atlas With a 2-1 victory to start the competitions on Wednesday evening. New signature Rodrigo de Paul Maybe his debut made for Miami before he even had a good training session with the club, but it was Messi and Tabasco Segovia Who stolen the show in Chase Field on Wednesday evening.

To struggle to break down the defense of Atlas in the first half, the herons eventually broke through in the second half. Secondary assists may not exist in the League Cup, but Sergio Busquets‘Pass to set up Messi to play the ball over the face of the goal for Segovia to score certainly a deserved, but it’s Messi’s assist for Marcelo Wegeigant deep in added time that all the Buzz created and delivers a quick ball over the face of the goal after a nice structure.

Atlas thought they would push the game to punishes after setting it up in the 80th minute by taking advantage of the defense of Miami, but the herons had other ideas in the night. The Paul went 90 minutes and presented his versatility during the game, but it was also a quiet one for him. However, that would not matter, with Miami taking up the victory for the wild.

Stakes are high in the Leagues Cup with only four of the 18 ml teams involved in the knockout phases, and that turned out to be with Miami who made sure that he played until the last whistle to secure the result. They were already busy winning the tournament, but the addition of the Paul only contributes to that, as a talent, this is one of the most stacked XIs in Major League Soccer.

While Miami’s attack did his job in the match, the defense was another problem, and with goalkeeper Oscar Ustari Set aside, that could remain the case for the near future. The herons must remove as much as possible from the attack, and that is where the versatility of the Paul helps. Starting with the game in the middle next to Busquets, when Fede Redondo was dragged in in the second half, the Paul went to the wing and continued the game there and helped to play ahead.

In a salary cap League such as MLS, versatility is of crucial importance and the midfield of Miami can perform in many different roles that will help. Coach Javier Mascherano Will the team want the team to keep more clean sheets in the future, but with the Paul who gets more training sessions under his belt, they have many opportunities to do that. For now, the goal is to win, even if it means you win ugly, because knockout tournaments are about survival and progress. As long as Miami is in a game when things end, Messi will give them the chance to win it, and Wednesday was another example of that.