Messi Mania marches on in the Leagues Cup, where Inter Miami CF takes on FC Dallas at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas, on Sunday at 9:30 p.m. ET.
Lionel Messi has produced five goals in three games, including two in Inter Miami's 3-1 win over in-state rival Orlando City SC in the Round of 32 on Wednesday night.
Now, Inter Miami hits the road for the first time while featuring the power trio of Messi, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, with tickets at Toyota Stadium selling out in 22 minutes.
The winner of the Inter Miami-FC Dallas game will face the Houston Dynamo FC-Charlotte FC winner in the quarterfinals on Aug. 11-12.
Here's everything you need to know about Messi's next game in the Leagues Cup:
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Messi and Inter Miami play against FC Dallas in a Leagues Cup knockout game on Sunday, Aug. 6 at 9:30 p.m. ET.
If Inter Miami is bounced from the Leagues Cup, it will have an extended break until the MLS regular season resumes on Aug. 20.
The Inter Miami-FC Dallas game can be streamed live on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
Outside of the much-ballyhooed Messi-Busquets-Alba triumvirate, here some other notable Inter Miami players:
Robert Taylor: Messi appears to have found his assist man in the winger from Finland. Taylor, who is in his second season with Inter Miami, delivered an absolute dime on Messi's first goal against Orlando City on Wednesday. Taylor has accounted for three goals and three assists in Miami's three Leagues Cup wins.
DeAndre Yedlin: The USMNT veteran who has played in two World Cups joined Inter Miami in 2022 after nearly a decade playing in Europe. Yedlin had been wearing the captain's armband until he bequeathed the honor to Messi.
Josef Martinez: Martinez was a revelation for expansion Atlanta United, scoring 19 goals in the team's inaugural season of 2017. The next season, Martinez scored a then-league record 31 goals for an Atlanta team that won MLS Cup in just its second season. After another strong season in 2019, injuries and feuds with team management derailed the remainder of his time in Atlanta, and Martinez was traded to Miami in January 2023.
Dallas is an OG Major League Soccer team, known originally as the Dallas Burn until a rebrand in 2005 as FC Dallas. Despite being a playoff regular since 1996 (only missing the postseason eight times in 27 seasons), FC Dallas has not won MLS Cup. It did reach the 2010 final, only to lose 2-1 to the Colorado Rapids. FC Dallas has collected three trophies in its history: the Supporters' Shield (2016) and twice winning the U.S. Open Cup (1997 and 2016).
U.S. national team player Jesús Ferreira — jokingly nicknamed "The Pirate of the Caribbean" for his penchant for scoring goals against against Caribbean nations — is the team's leading goal scorer with 10. Newcomer Eugene Ansah scored the winning goal in FC Dallas' 2-1 win over Mazatlán in the Leagues Cup Round of 32.
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Quarterfinals (Aug. 11-12)
Semifinals (Aug. 16)
Third-place game (Aug. 19)
Final (Aug. 19)
All Leagues Cup matches will be streamed live on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
With the exception of the U.S. Open Cup semifinal game on Aug. 23 (which will be available to stream on the CBS Sports Golazo Network), all other Inter Miami games are available to watch on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
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