Messi scores goal as Inter Miami beat Cincinnati in Eastern Conference semi

In Sunday’s Major League Soccer (MLS) Eastern Conference semifinal between Cincinnati and Tadeo Allende, Lionel Messi scored a second-half brace, and Lionel Messi collected three assists.

No 3 seed Miami, which advanced to its first East final after its longest MLS Cup Playoff run in club history, made it a goal and an assist with Mateo Silvetti, 19. New York City FC, the No. 5 seed, will take on it, which defeated Philadelphia Union by a score of 1-0 on Sunday night.

Cincinnati was knocked out of a home game by a match short of making the second East final for the third time in a row.

After coming home from Nashville in the final game of the round one series two weeks ago, Miami’s second straight 4-0 victory came as manager Javier Mascherano made the decision to not start starting striker Luis Suarez.

Suarez, who was previously Messi’s long-term teammate at Barcelona, was given a red-card suspension in the final game of the regular season but scored 10 goals and added 10 assists.

However, over the course of the final 180 minutes, Messi and a more recent Miami front four have begun to show signs of maturity.

After scoring 29 goals and adding 19 assists in what is likely to be his second consecutive regular-season MLS MVP-winning regular season, Messi now has six goals and six assists in the postseason, which contributes to every single Miami tally.

Messi dominates the East semifinal.

In the 19th minute of what was a level-headed match’s opening, Messi scored his goal on Sunday.

Jodi Alba made the transition possible when he stepped forward from his left-handed position to intercept a Cincinnati pass.

After passing goalkeeper Roman Celentano with a strong header, Silvetti eventually found space on the left and delivered an outswinging cross that Messi had hoped would take seriously.

On a sequence that started with a throw-in to the right, Silvetti doubled Miami’s lead in the 57th minute. Allende did a fantastic job of receiving the throw before quickly turning his body to pass a defenseman and find Messi in space close to the penalty line. With a layoff into Silvetti’s path, Messi continued to move the ball to the left and delivered a superb curling finish beyond Celentano and inside the far right post.