Lionel Messi's Inter Miami vs Orlando City live updates: Leagues ...

Michael Dominski

August 2, 2023 at 3:15 PM EDT

Where else to start in an interview with David Beckham than with a question about Messi.

“I never thought I would have the same feeling as an owner as I had when I was a player,” Beckham says of the moment he received the news Messi had chosen to join Miami.

“When I got the phone call, I had the feeling I had when I walked out at Old Trafford or Wembley. I was like, ‘We’ve just beaten all competition to sign the greatest player to ever play our game’.”

GO FURTHER

David Beckham, the interview: Miami, Messi, Manchester United – and more

The last six meetings between these two teams have been pretty equal, but it is Orlando City who have the slight edge.

Here is how those matches have panned out:

Unsurprisingly, questions about Messi were a key feature of Oscar Pareja's pre-match press conference.

"We have prepared well. First of all, we have given a lot of importance to what we do, to our own way of doing things," said the Orlando City manager.

"Undoubtedly, we have to prepare for the best player in the world, who also has a lot of influence on the other players because he makes them better.

"But we have worked hard with a mentality of protagonism, that we can impose ourselves because we are not playing against just one player; but against a team and we hope that in the end Orlando City can win."

Former Barcelona and Liverpool forward Luis Suarez says Gremio have agreed to terminate his contract a year early as he feels he cannot meet the standards of the Brazil top flight.

Suarez will now be a free agent this December, but he admitted there was doubt whether he would continue playing because of an ongoing knee problem. The forward’s deal had been set to expire in 2024.

Inter Miami’s ownership has publicly courted the 36-year-old this summer, and although confirming their interest, Suarez claimed he has had no contact with the club.

Read more below.

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Gremio agree to end Luis Suarez contract early but claims no contact from Inter Miami

Ever since they both exploded onto the football scene in the mid-noughties, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have split football fans' opinions almost down the middle.

There have been ebbs and flows on both sides — most recently Messi's World Cup triumph moving the needle in the age-old debate.

Now, with them both firmly in the twilight of their careers, they have moved away from the major European leagues.

Ronaldo's move to Saudi Arabia has begun a revolution while Messi's MLS influence is likely yet to come.

So, what does it all mean for the greatest individual rivalry in football history? Michael Walker tried to make sense of it all — check it out below.

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For Messi vs Ronaldo, read U.S. vs Saudi Arabia – a new twist in a famous rivalry

While the arrivals of Messi, Busquets and Alba in the U.S. makes it harder for the rest of the teams in the MLS to compete for the major titles, there are benefits for every club.

Almost overnight, the MLS has become a much more lucrative league for sponsors and broadcasters.

Paul Tenorio looked into the ripple effect for the league 's stakeholders – check it out below.

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Messi and money: The ripple effect for MLS, its teams and sponsors

It would be easy for the less-experienced players in the Inter Miami squad to be star-struck by the opportunity to train with three legends of the game.

However, Martino has claimed that the attitude within the rest of the squad is allowing those players to learn from players they would have undoubtedly looked up to.

“They are not overshadowed by the greatness of the those players," he said. "But instead are focused on being able to learn from everything that they have done their in their legendary careers,

“It is not easy for the players that we have here to receive players with so much history, with so many titles, with such a high level, with such a legacy in the world football. In that sense, I think we are on the right track.”

And here are all of the Round of 32 ties from the other side of the draw.

Here are all of the Round of 32 ties from the bottom half of the draw which is the side of the draw including this tie between Inter Miami and Orlando City.

After his first appearance lived up to the billing, Messi's first start for Inter Miami continued the trend.

It took him just seven minutes to score his second goal for the club and just another 14 minutes for him to make it three in two games.

Hopes of a first hat-trick were never fulfilled but he had time for an assist for Robert Taylor before being given a well-earned rest in the 78th minute.

That result confirmed Miami's status as winners of Group South 3, earning them a home tie for this Round of 32 clash against Orlando City.

GO FURTHER

Messi magnificent again as Inter Miami trounces Atlanta United, 4-0

Excitement was through the roof in Miami when Messi came off the bench for his debut against Cruz Azul on July 22.

Although, before he came on, his new club were doing well.

Robert Taylor's goal on the stroke of half-time had given them the lead. 10 minutes after Messi and Busquets were introduced, the scoreline was levelled by Uriel Antuna.

The Mexican side looked set for a 1-1 draw before committing a cardinal sin in stoppage time; they gave away a free kick within the periphery of the penalty area.

Up stepped Messi and the rest was history, as he found the top corner to give them the perfect start to this summer's Leagues Cup campaign.

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Messi’s perfect free kick that announced his arrival in the U.S

This evening's game is being played in the Leagues Cup which, for those of you unfamiliar, is a tournament played annually between teams from the MLS in the U.S. and Liga MX in Mexico.

It was founded in 2019, however the tournament has only been completed properly twice — it was cancelled in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic and was reduced to an exhibition last year because of fixture congestion.

In the two years it has been played in its entirety, Cruz Azul won the title in 2019 and Leon won it in 2021.

Starting this year, the tournament is now contested by all clubs from the MLS and Liga MX over the period of a month.

Three CONCACAF Champions Cup places are handed out in the Leagues Cup; two for the finalists and one for the third-place finisher — the winner will qualify directly for the last 16.

Alba's last appearance came for Spain, on June 18, in the final of the UEFA Nations League where he played 90 minutes as well as a 30-minute extra-time period.

The veteran left-back was able to add to his stacked trophy cabinet in that game as his side beat Croatia in a penalty shootout after a 0-0 draw.

As his contract at Barcelona expired this summer, he has been without a club to play for in the six weeks since. However, he claimed that he is ready to go whenever Miami need him.

“I have trained well in Barcelona for many days, and though it is not easy to train alone, I got in touch with the coaches here and they made it very easy for me,” he said yesterday.

“I worked hard to be able to compete when I got here. But the climate will take some getting used to.”

As part of his unveiling press conference, Alba touched on the decision he made to join Miami.

"When I decided to leave Barcelona, I didn’t have a team," he said. "My cycle has ended with Barcelona. Conversations started with Inter Miami and yes, I then did have other offers on the table.

"The right decision was to come here. It’s an exciting project. We still want to compete and to win. We’re in the right place to do that with hard work and sacrifice.

"I made the decision after the national team (matches). There were offers for more money but I wanted to feel important. Martino’s confidence in me was key. The club wanted me. They were the club who focused most on me."

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Jordi Alba, Miami’s perfect partner in crime to Messi’s attacking brilliance

Alongside Martino, Alba faced the media ahead of today's game and he discussed his arrival to Miami.

“Even though I’ve been here only three or four days, I feel like I’ve been here all my life,” he said yesterday. “I am very happy to reunite with Leo and Busi.

"We are just three players in a group of very good players who must help us and us help them to be able to win as many titles as we can. We are also fortunate to have Tata, who knows us from the past.

"We are here to take Inter Miami as high as we can.”

The fans arriving at DRV PNK Stadium will be desperate to see each member of the ex-Barcelona trio in the starting XI against Orlando City but, as Jordi Alba has little experience of training with his new team mates, they might be denied that dream.

Gerardo Martino eased both Messi and Busquets into the team with appearances from the subsitutes' bench, so Alba may have to settle for the same introduction.

The Miami boss remained tight lipped in his pre-match press conference.

“He will be among a number of players that will be available to face Orlando,” he said. “Tomorrow, we’ll make a final decision.”

Hello and welcome to The Athletic's live coverage of Lionel Messi's third game for Inter Miami — a Round of 32 clash against Orlando City.

All eyes will be on the former Barcelona contingent at DRV PNK Stadium, especially as Jordi Alba could be set for his debut alongside his two former team mates.

Messi and Sergio Busquets will hope to lead Miami to their third consecutive win since arriving in Florida.