Lionel Messi scored two more goals, giving him five in three matches for Inter Miami, as he led the Herons to a 3-1 win over Orlando City on Wednesday in a Leagues Cup round-of-32 match at Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
In the seventh minute, Miami’s Robert Taylor clipped a pass over the Orlando defense to an unmarked Messi in the penalty area. The Argentinian World Cup champ chested it down as he approached the 6-yard box, then volleyed in a left-footed shot.
Inter Miami held a 2-1 lead before Messi sealed the outcome in the 72nd minute. Josef Martinez’s chipped pass found Messi in almost the same spot, and Messi knocked in a right-footed volley.
Martinez’s penalty kick in the 51st minute put Miami on top after Orlando’s Cesar Araujo had leveled the score in the 17th minute.
Miami advances to a round-of-16 match against FC Dallas. The contest will be played in Frisco, Texas, on either Sunday, Monday or Tuesday.
The League Cup began with every team from Major League Soccer and Mexico’s Liga MX competing. The group stage narrowed the field to 32 for the start of the single-elimination knockout rounds, which began on Wednesday. The final is scheduled for Aug. 19.
FC Dallas 2, Mazatlan 1
Eugene Ansah scored the tiebreaking goal in the 75th minute, leading FC Dallas past Mazatlan FC in Frisco, Texas.
Ansah, who entered as a sub 10 minutes earlier, headed in a cross from Jesus Ferreira from close range.
A penalty kick by Dallas’ Alan Velasco opening the scoring in the 48th minute, and Mazatlan’s Andres Montano equalized in the 57th minute.
In a tightly played contest, the clubs split possession time 50-50 and each put five shots on net (Dallas led in total shots 13-9).
Dynamo 0, Pachuca 0 (Houston wins 5-3 on penalty kicks)
Dynamo goalkeeper Steve Clark saved the attempt by Tony Figueroa in the fourth round of a penalty-kick shootout, and the host Dynamo prevailed after a scoreless draw through regulation.
Each team made its first three penalty kicks, and Griffin Dorsey put Houston up 4-3 before Figueroa’s miss. Luis Caicedo then slotted home the decisive shot.
In regulation, Pachuca had a 15-12 edge in shots, though both teams put two shots in target.
The Dynamo move on to oppose either Charlotte FC or Cruz Azul, who square off on Thursday in Frisco, Texas.
Los Angeles FC 7, FC Juarez 1
Denis Bouanga scored a second-half hat trick as host Los Angeles, making its 2023 Leagues Cup debut, cruised to a victory over FC Juarez.
As the reigning MLS Cup champions, LAFC received a bye through the group stage.
Goals from Ryan Hollingshead and Carlos Vela gave Los Angeles a 2-0 lead entering halftime, and Amaury Escoto halved the deficit in the 47th minute. Bouanga (52nd minute) and Vela (61st minute) expanded the margin, and Bouanga tallied again in the 66th minute before completing his hat trick with a 78th-minute penalty kick.
Nathan Ordaz capped the scoring in the 90th minute.
LAFC advance to oppose the winner of the Thursday match between Leon and Real Salt Lake in Sandy, Utah.
–Field Level Media
