2023 Leagues Cup final

Nashville SC captain Walker Zimmerman, who scored in the round of 16 and round of 32

Nashville SC had qualified for the MLS Cup Playoffs in its first three seasons in the league and had advanced as far as the quarterfinals in the U.S. Open Cup, but had yet to win a trophy.[12] The team finished tenth in the 2022 regular season standings and were seeded into the Central 4 group alongside Toluca and the Colorado Rapids.[13] Prior to the Leagues Cup break, Nashville SC were fifth in the Supporters' Shield race but had lost five of their six most recent matches.[12][14]

In their opening match against Colorado, Nashville won 2–1 with goals from substitutes Hany Mukhtar and Jacob Shaffelburg in the second half before conceding late to the Rapids.[15] The team gained and lost its lead twice in the first half of their match against Toluca, which included a penalty awarded in stoppage time by the video assistant referee. Toluca scored again the second half and won 4–3;[16] Nashville finished second in the group and advanced to the knockout stage after Colorado's 4–1 loss to Toluca.[17]

The team opened the knockout round against FC Cincinnati, the leaders in the 2023 Supporters' Shield race and host of the match. After a scoreless first half, Nashville took the lead through a tap-in by Anibal Godoy but conceded a penalty kick that was converted by Brandon Vázquez. The match finished at 1–1 in regulation time and was immediately followed by a penalty shootout that Nashville won 5–4 after a save on Matt Miazga's shot.[18] The team returned home to host Mexico's Club América in the round of 16; Walker Zimmerman scored the opening goal for Nashville in the second half, which was followed by an equalizer from Diego Valdés for América. In stoppage time, América earned a penalty that Julián Quiñones converted for a 2–1 lead, but Nashville's debutant striker Sam Surridge equalized in the ninth minute to send the match to a penalty shootout.[19] Nashville manager Gary Smith substituted goalkeeper Elliot Panicco in for Joe Willis, repeating a strategy used in the round of 32 shootout. In the sixth round, a shot by Nashville defender Jack Maher was initially saved by Luis Malagón and triggered a celebration from América and several pitch invaders until a video assistant referee check determined that Malagón had illegally left the touchline before Maher had taken his shot. The penalty was retaken and scored by Maher and extended the shootout, which ultimately ended with a 6–5 win for Nashville after Jonathan dos Santos missed for América and Daniel Lovitz converted.[19][20]

Nashville SC advanced to the quarterfinals and won 5–0 against Minnesota United FC, who were down to 10 players after defender D. J. Taylor was sent off with a red card in the 34th minute. The team's two first-half goals were created by Jacob Shaffelburg's crosses into the box, which found Shaq Moore and Teal Bunbury; three goals within a nine-minute span followed after half-time.[21] Goalkeeper Joe Willis left the team after the quarterfinal match due to personal reasons and was replaced as starter by Panicco.[22] Nashville then defeated CF Monterrey 2–0 in the semifinals with goals from substitutes Surridge and Picault in the second half while the team managed fatigue and injuries.[23] It was the first defeat for Monterrey against an MLS team in a knockout competition;[24] Monterrey had traveled over 7,600 miles (12,200 km) during the tournament, which the club's president complained was an unfair advantage for MLS teams.[25][3]

Lionel Messi made his debut for Inter Miami CF in the 2023 Leagues Cup

Inter Miami CF entered MLS as an expansion team in 2020 and had yet to advance to a prior tournament final.[26] The team finished twelfth in the 2022 regular season standings and were seeded into the South 3 group.[13] Before the Leagues Cup break, Miami were at the bottom of the Eastern Conference in regular season play with 18 points in 22 matches and on an 11-match winless streak.[27] During the 2023 summer transfer window, the club signed forward Lionel Messi, midfielder Sergio Busquets, and defender Jordi Alba, all former FC Barcelona players and among the world's best in their positions;[28] Inter Miami CF also signed a trio of young South American prospects to under-22 Designated Player contracts and offloaded veteran players to keep salary costs manageable and under the cap.[29] Head coach Phil Neville was fired on June 1 and temporarily replaced by assistant Javier Morales until Gerardo "Tata" Martino joined in July.[30]

To prepare for the Leagues Cup, an additional 3,000 seats were added to DRV PNK Stadium, the temporary home of Inter Miami CF in the suburb of Fort Lauderdale.[31] Miami made their cup debut against Cruz Azul and took the lead through a Robert Taylor goal before half-time, but Uriel Antuna equalized for Cruz Azul in the 65th minute. Messi entered the match as a substitute prior to the equalizer and scored his first goal for the club—a free kick in stoppage time—to clinch a 2–1 win for Miami.[32] Inter Miami CF then won 4–0 at home against Atlanta United FC, which allowed them to clinch the top spot in their group. Messi scored the first two goals of the match, which was followed by a pair from Taylor; the duo also provided an assist on each other's goals and formed an attacking partnership for the team.[33][34]

Inter Miami CF remained at home to play against in-state rivals Orlando City SC in the round of 32 on August 2 after the match was delayed by 95 minutes due to lightning. Two goals from Messi and a converted penalty by Josef Martínez gave the home side a 3–1 victory.[35] The team advanced to the round of 16 and faced FC Dallas four days later in their first away match of the tournament, which was played with additional security guards and in front of a mixed crowd of home supporters and Messi fans.[36][37] Messi opened the scoring in the sixth minute with a strike that went to video review due to a possible offside that was ruled to have not affected the play; Dallas then equalized and took a 2–1 lead at the end of the first half with goals from Facundo Quignon and Bernard Kamungo. A third goal for Dallas was followed by a goal by Miami rookie substitute Benjamin Cremaschi and an own goal from Robert Taylor, who was tracking back on a counterattack, to make the scoreline 4–2. Messi provided an assist for Cremaschi as well as an own goal by Dallas defender Marco Farfan before scoring his second goal of the match, a free kick in the 85th minute, to close out regulation time at 4–4.[37][38] Miami won 5–3 in the shootout over five rounds, with the only missed shot from Paxton Pomykal in the second round.[39]

Miami then advanced to the quarterfinals and defeated Charlotte FC 4–0 at DRV PNK Stadium. Martínez opened the scoring in the twelfth minute with a penalty kick that was awarded for a foul on Dixon Arroyo; he was followed by Taylor's finish on a DeAndre Yedlin cross for a 2–0 lead at half-time. Charlotte defender Adilson Malanda then scored an own goal ahead of an advancing Leonardo Campana, who also provided an assist to Messi for his goal from close range.[40] In the semifinals, Inter Miami CF won 4–1 on the road to the Philadelphia Union to clinch a place in the final with three goals in the first half on their first three shots. Martínez once again scored first, in the third minute, and was followed by Messi's rolling shot from distance and a stoppage-time finish by Jordi Alba on a through-ball from Taylor.[26] Alejandro Bedoya scored a consolation goal in the 73rd minute, while Ruiz restored Miami's three-goal lead shortly before the end of the match.[41] During their six matches in the Leagues Cup, Inter Miami CF scored 21 goals—one fewer than they did in their 22 regular season matches prior to Messi's arrival.[26] Messi had scored in every Leagues Cup match and entered the final as the tournament's top goalscorer with nine goals, two ahead of Minnesota United FC's Bongokuhle Hlongwane.[26][42]

Note: In all results below, the score of the finalist is given first (H: home; A: away). All matches were decided through a penalty shootout (p) if scores were tied after regulation time.

Nashville SC		Round	Inter Miami CF
Opponent	Result	Group stage	Opponent	Result
Colorado Rapids	2–1 (H)	Matchday 1	Cruz Azul	2–1 (H)
Toluca	3–4 (H)	Matchday 2	Atlanta United FC	4–0 (H)
Bye		Matchday 3	Bye
Group Central 4 runner-up Pos Team Pld Pts 1 Toluca 2 6 2 Nashville SC 2 3 3 Colorado Rapids 2 0 Source: Leagues Cup		Final standings	Group South 3 winner Pos Team Pld Pts 1 Inter Miami CF 2 6 2 Cruz Azul 2 2 3 Atlanta United FC 2 1 Source: Leagues Cup
Opponent	Result	Knockout stage	Opponent	Result
FC Cincinnati	1–1 (5–4 p) (H)	Round of 32	Orlando City SC	3–1 (H)
América	2–2 (6–5 p) (H)	Round of 16	FC Dallas	4–4 (5–3 p) (A)
Minnesota United FC	5–0 (H)	Quarterfinals	Charlotte FC	4–0 (H)
Monterrey	2–0 (H)	Semifinals	Philadelphia Union	4–1 (A)

The Leagues Cup final was played in front of a sellout crowd of 30,109 at Geodis Park in Nashville, including several hundred Inter Miami fans who had traveled from Florida as well as other supporters of the club.[51] MLS commissioner Don Garber, Inter Miami part-owner David Beckham, and Nashville SC minority owners Giannis Antetokounmpo and Reese Witherspoon were among those in attendance.[52] Nashville head coach Gary Smith opted to use a 4–4–2 formation and give Sam Surridge his first start in place of Teal Bunbury; Gerardo Martino had an unchanged starting lineup from the semifinals, arranged in a 4–3–3.[53][54] Singer Colbie Caillat performed the U.S. national anthem prior to the match, which began at 8:15 p.m. Central Time with the temperature at 80 °F (27 °C).[1][54]

Nashville began the match with a strong defensive shape and contained pressure from Miami, but eventually conceded the opening goal to Lionel Messi in the 23rd minute. Messi dribbled around defender Walker Zimmerman and took his shot between three players to beat Elliot Panicco.[51][55] A corner kick for Nashville in the 57th minute was headed in by Fafà Picault for the equalizing goal.[51] Despite having the advantage in shots and shots on goal, Nashville was unable to take the lead as the match ended 1–1 in regulation time.[56]

In the early rounds of the shootout, only Randall Leal of Nashville and Víctor Ulloa of Miami missed their shots.[51] The deciding eleventh round was contested by the two goalkeepers: Drake Callender converted his and then saved Panicco's to win the shootout by a 10–9 scoreline.[56]