Inter Miami came into the night riding the momentum of a dominant 5-1 win over New York City FC in the Eastern Conference Final, a result that crowned them conference champions and secured their place in MLS Cup. It was a statement performance from a team that has been in command throughout the postseason, fueled once again by the presence of Lionel Messi.

Messi reacted on his social media accounts after the match, noting that the job was not finished and that the ultimate goal still awaited. “We still have one more step… Eastern Conference champions but we still have the MLS Cup Final ahead,” Messi wrote, keeping the focus on the title match.

It wasn’t Messi’s most prolific outing — and it didn’t need to be. His teammates handled most of the scoring, especially Tadeo Allende, who tied t

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