Lionel Messi continued to rewrite the record books on Sunday night as he recorded a goal and three assists to lead Inter Miami to a 4–0 win over FC Cincinnati and the Eastern Conference final for the first time in club history.
The No. 3-seed Herons comfortably controlled the match against the No. 2-seed FC Cincinnati as Messi drove the play on all three goals, scoring the first in the 19th minute before setting up Mateo Silvetti and a brace from Tadeo Allende in the second half to see out the game.
With his four goal contributions, Messi broke the record for most goal contributions in a single MLS Cup playoffs campaign, raising his total to six goals and six assists through the Herons’ three-game series against Nashville SC and Sunday’s single-elimination win against Cincinnati.
Miami have advanced to the final four of MLS and will now either visit the Supporters’ Shield-winning Philadelphia Union or host New York City FC in the Eastern Conference final, with a chance to qualify for MLS Cup against one of Vancouver Whitecaps FC, San Diego FC or Minnesota United.
Inter Miami Player Ratings vs. FC Cincinnati (4-3-3)
GK: Rocco Ríos Novo—7.9: Ríos Novo kept the clean sheet despite some early Cincinnati chances, making five saves on the night and controlling his center back pairing of Maxi Falcón and Noah Allen.
RB: Marcelo Weigandt—7.4: Thrown in as a starter after Ian Fray suffered an injury while playing in World Cup qualifying for Jamaica, Weigandt held strong against attacks from Lukas Engel and Brenner.
CB: Maximiliano Falcón—7.1: The Uruguayan center back got early instructions from Luis Suárez on the bench and was composed throughout the night, finishing with seven defensive contributions.
CB: Noah Allen—7.8: The Greece youth international played 71 minutes and had one of his best games in an Inter Miami shirt with 97% passing accuracy and nine defensive contributions.
LB: Jordi Alba—7.3: With retirement looming, Alba played an aggressive game. He had to be assessed for concussion symptoms in the 10th minute, but soon returned to play a key part in Miami’s opening goal.
RM: Rodrigo De Paul—7.4: The Argentina international played more centrally than he has in the past, as Busquets dropped back deeper. He clogged up the midfield and was a big reason why Evander and Kévin Denkey struggled to create chances.
CM: Sergio Busquets —8.1: Dropping deeper as a pseudo-center back to start, Busquets saw off retirement for another day.
LM: Baltasar Rodríguez—7.5: Taken out in the 76th minute, Rodríguez was a consistent presence and had several key overlapping moments with Jordi Alba and Mateo Silvetti.
RW: Tadeo Allende—8.9: Allende has learned how to make the most of Lionel Messi, and did exactly that to make two runs for his brace to see off the victory.
ST: Lionel Messi—9.7: It’s getting difficult to describe how good Messi has been. Once again, he showed his talents tonight, and has had a goal contribution on 22 of Miami’s last 25 goals—which have all been in the last seven games.
LW: Mateo Silvetti—8.4: After getting the starting nod ahead of Luis Suárez, Silvetti lived up to the task with a goal and an assist before subbing out for Yannick Bright in the 82nd minute.
Subs not used: Oscar Ustari (GK), Fafa Picault, Santiago Morales, Allen Obando.
FC Cincinnati (3-5-2)
Starting XI: Roman Celentano; Teenage Hadebe, Miles Robinson, Nick Hagglund; Lukas Engel, Samuel Gidi, Evander, Pavel Bucha, Ender Echinique; Brenner, Kévin Denkey.
Subs used: Luca Orellano, Yuya Kubo, Ayoub Jabbari, Alvas Powell, Obinna Nwobodo.
Player of the Match: Lionel Messi
FC Cincinnati 0–4 Inter Miami—How it Unfolded at TQL Stadium
Inter Miami manager Javier Mascherano set the tone early in the match—this was not a night for friendships and experience. While Luis Suárez started most games in the MLS regular season, Mascherano dropped him from the starting lineup on Sunday in favor of 19-year-old Argentine Mateo Silvetti, and the move paid off brilliantly.
The first 15 minutes of the match saw both teams settle into the game, with FC Cincinnati’s DP striker, Kévin Denkey getting the first shot from distance, which proved no problem for Miami’s Rocco Ríos Novo to handle.
Yet, Cincinnati’s hopes didn’t last long. Miami broke the deadlock in the 19th minute when Jordi Alba—with retirement looming—aggressively picked off a pass from Cincinnati’s Nick Haglund, before leaving it for Messi. Messi then drove forward and then laid the ball off to Silvetti, whose pinpoint cross found Messi’s head for the opening goal.
LIONEL MESSI LOVES A BIG GAME. ✨
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) November 23, 2025
What a move to open the scoring! // Audi MLS Cup Playoffs pic.twitter.com/l0L3miaYYZ
Cincinnati had a chance moments later as Ender Echenique shot the ball inches wide of the far post, but Miami didn’t take their foot off the gas. Sergio Busquets set Messi up on a breakaway in the 27th minute, where the Argentine missed the net while aiming to the far post.
While the half ended 1–0 for the Herons, it was evident Messi was once again having one of his better nights.
Advantage doubled for @InterMiamiCF! ⚡️
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) November 23, 2025
Perfect set-up from Messi, brilliant finish from Silvetti. // Audi MLS Cup Playoffs pic.twitter.com/YRKDSR1nU0
Miami and Messi made quick work of Cincinnati in the second half, with Messi laying off to Silvetti in the 57th minute for the younger Argentine to score the 2–0 goal. Soon after, he sent the first perfect through ball to Allende in the 62nd minute, and did it again with a perfect trivela pass in the 74th minute to seal off the game as dominantly as possible.
Running riot in Cincy. 🔥
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) November 23, 2025
ANOTHER assist for Messi. ANOTHER finish from Allende. 4-0. // Audi MLS Cup Playoffs pic.twitter.com/wWhhbQIKhN
For Messi, it was an exceptional evening all-round. Not only did he break the record for most goal contributions in a single MLS Cup playoffs, but he also brought his total tally in 2025 to 43 goals and 28 assists in 47 matches across all competitions.
Now, the question looms for Miami as they move ahead: Will Mascherano opt to go back to Suárez, or is Silvetti the defined starting striker alongside Messi?
FC Cincinnati vs. Inter Miami Halftime Stats
FC Cincinnati vs. Inter Miami Full Time Statistics
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Inter Miami Player Ratings vs. FC Cincinnati: Herons, Messi Make History in Eastern Conference Semifinals.
