Lionel Messi was on his invincible element with a goal and three assists as he inspired Inter Miami to a 4-0 win over Cincinnati to reach the MLS Eastern Conference final for the first time ever.
During the building to the encounter, Softfootball had predicted a win for Inter Miami in the winner takes all semi-final and they came out top, even exceeding the 3-2 prediction by not conceding a goal. Cincinnati battled hard against Inter Miami but the genius of Messi was the major difference.
Interestingly, Inter Miami qualified for the play-offs as the third-placed team in the Eastern Conference after finishing a point behind Philadelphia Union and level on points with Cincinnati. Inter Miami beat Nashville in the play-offs quarter-final to set up a clash with Cincinnati.