Having scored a double in **Inter Miami CF**’s rout of Atlanta United FC on Tuesday night, Lionel Messi has sealed his new team’s spot in the Leagues Cup playoffs.
After scoring a last-minute free-kick winner against Cruz Azul on his debut, the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner’s class was on display again as he sealed the three points for the Florida outfit, who are now assured of winning the South 3 group.
With the World Cup winner having made an instant impact in his first week in North American soccer, fans will now be eagerly anticipating his next appearance at Leagues Cup.
As winners of the South 3 pool, Inter Miami will be taking on the runners-up of South 2 in the Round of 32, which will kick off on August 2.
South 2 is one of the groups with everything still left to play for going into the final match-up this Saturday. Houston Dynamo FC currently lead with three points, having drawn to both Orlando City SC and Santos Laguna - they would lose to their MLS rivals on penalties, but then win the shoot-out against the **LIGA MX** side.
The final game of the group will pit the Laguneros against the Lions. Both teams can claim top spot with an outright win in regulation time, while the permutations in case of a draw could make for some complex calculations.
While an Orlando win on penalties would put them and Houston Dynamo through, a Santos Laguna victory from spot-kicks would see all three teams finish on three points each. In that scenario, a series of tie-breakers will be used to determine the final standings.
As a direct head-to-head comparison and a goal difference table would not be useful in this situation, the teams would then be ranked based on the number of goals scored. If they are still at level pegging, the tie-breaker would then move on to the number of goals conceded, then a fair-play table, and finally a draw held by the organizing committee.
In any case, Messi and his Inter Miami CF teammates will have to wait until the very last kick of the South 2 group in order to find out their next opponent, as they set their sights on Leagues Cup glory.
