The 2023 Leagues Cup is heating up, with the quarterfinals beginning and ending tonight. Inter Miami will host Charlotte FC at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale at 8:30pm ET. Lionel Messi has spearheaded Miami's run with game-winning performances, while Charlotte has taken down both Mexican and American competition on their run to the quarters.
Miami and Charlotte have not done well in the MLS regular season, sitting at 15th and 12th (out of 15 teams), respectively, in the Eastern Conference standings. But the Leagues Cup is a different competition entirely, and a lot has changed since it began.
Inter Miami vs. Charlotte FC, Leagues Cup 2023 quarterfinals updates from DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida:
FINAL! Inter Miami CF 4, Charlotte FC 0.
Second Half ends, Inter Miami CF 4, Charlotte FC 0.
Foul by Ashley Westwood (Charlotte FC).
Sergio Busquets (Inter Miami CF) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt saved. Diego Gómez (Inter Miami CF) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Lionel Messi.
Brandon Cambridge (Charlotte FC) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Noah Allen (Inter Miami CF).
Substitution, Inter Miami CF. Noah Allen replaces Jordi Alba.
Substitution, Inter Miami CF. Víctor Ulloa replaces Dixon Arroyo.
MESSI GETS HIS GOAL! Inter Miami CF 4, Charlotte FC 0.
Substitution, Charlotte FC. Brandon Cambridge replaces Harrison Afful.
Sergio Busquets (Inter Miami CF) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Brecht Dejaegere (Charlotte FC).
Attempt saved. Leonardo Campana (Inter Miami CF) left footed shot from the right side of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Corner, Inter Miami CF. Conceded by Kristijan Kahlina.
Attempt saved. Diego Gómez (Inter Miami CF) right footed shot from the right side of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Leonardo Campana.
Attempt blocked. Karol Swiderski (Charlotte FC) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Harrison Afful.
Own Goal by Adilson Malanda, Charlotte FC. Inter Miami CF 3, Charlotte FC 0.
Attempt missed. Patrick Agyemang (Charlotte FC) right footed shot from very close range.
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Delay in match (Inter Miami CF).
Substitution, Inter Miami CF. David Ruíz replaces Benjamin Cremaschi.
Substitution, Inter Miami CF. Diego Gómez replaces Robert Taylor.
Corner, Inter Miami CF. Conceded by Andrew Privett.
Adilson Malanda (Charlotte FC) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Leonardo Campana (Inter Miami CF) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Substitution, Charlotte FC. Kerwin Vargas replaces Ben Bender.
Kamal Miller (Inter Miami CF) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Kamal Miller (Inter Miami CF).
Patrick Agyemang (Charlotte FC) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Offside, Inter Miami CF. Benjamin Cremaschi tries a through ball, but Drake Callender is caught offside.
Ashley Westwood (Charlotte FC) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Lionel Messi (Inter Miami CF) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Ashley Westwood (Charlotte FC).
Substitution, Inter Miami CF. Leonardo Campana replaces Josef Martínez.
Foul by Jordi Alba (Inter Miami CF).
Ben Bender (Charlotte FC) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt saved. Patrick Agyemang (Charlotte FC) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Brandt Bronico.
Attempt missed. Karol Swiderski (Charlotte FC) left footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses the top right corner. Assisted by Andrew Privett.
Foul by Dixon Arroyo (Inter Miami CF).
Karol Swiderski (Charlotte FC) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Attempt saved. Karol Swiderski (Charlotte FC) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Brandt Bronico.
Lionel Messi (Inter Miami CF) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Brecht Dejaegere (Charlotte FC).
Attempt blocked. Lionel Messi (Inter Miami CF) left footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked.
Attempt missed. Harrison Afful (Charlotte FC) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses the top right corner.
Substitution, Charlotte FC. Brecht Dejaegere replaces Kamil Józwiak.
Substitution, Charlotte FC. Patrick Agyemang replaces Scott Arfield.
Second Half begins Inter Miami CF 2, Charlotte FC 0.
First Half ends, Inter Miami CF 2, Charlotte FC 0.
Corner, Charlotte FC. Conceded by Josef Martínez.
Corner, Charlotte FC. Conceded by Dixon Arroyo.
Corner, Charlotte FC. Conceded by Sergii Kryvtsov.
Offside, Charlotte FC. Jaylin Lindsey tries a through ball, but Karol Swiderski is caught offside.
Attempt missed. Scott Arfield (Charlotte FC) header from the centre of the box.
Sergio Busquets (Inter Miami CF) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Brandt Bronico (Charlotte FC).
Offside, Inter Miami CF. Lionel Messi tries a through ball, but Jordi Alba is caught offside.
Foul by Harrison Afful (Charlotte FC).
Lionel Messi (Inter Miami CF) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Jordi Alba (Inter Miami CF) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Ben Bender (Charlotte FC).
Foul by Scott Arfield (Charlotte FC).
Sergio Busquets (Inter Miami CF) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Delay in match (Inter Miami CF).
Washington Wizards player Kyle Kuzma shares a hug with David Beckham.
GOAL! Robert Taylor scores Miami's second with a cool finish. Inter Miami CF 2, Charlotte FC 0.
Attempt blocked. Karol Swiderski (Charlotte FC) right footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Brandt Bronico.
Offside, Charlotte FC. Jaylin Lindsey tries a through ball, but Karol Swiderski is caught offside.
Robert Taylor (Inter Miami CF) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Ben Bender (Charlotte FC).
Kamal Miller (Inter Miami CF) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Karol Swiderski (Charlotte FC).
Foul by Sergii Kryvtsov (Inter Miami CF).
Karol Swiderski (Charlotte FC) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Josef Martínez (Inter Miami CF) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Adilson Malanda (Charlotte FC).
GOAL! Messi leaves the PK for Josef Martinez and he doesn't disappoint. Inter Miami CF 1, Charlotte FC 0.
Penalty Inter Miami CF. Dixon Arroyo draws a foul in the penalty area.
Penalty conceded by Harrison Afful (Charlotte FC) after a foul in the penalty area.
Robert Taylor (Inter Miami CF) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Jaylin Lindsey (Charlotte FC).
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Delay in match because of an injury Benjamin Cremaschi (Inter Miami CF).
Attempt missed. DeAndre Yedlin (Inter Miami CF) header from the centre of the box following a corner.
Corner, Inter Miami CF. Conceded by Andrew Privett.
Argentina national team manager Lionel Scaloni is in the stadium!
First Half begins.
Inter Miami players head out for warmups!
Here's how Miami lines up.
Charlotte's starting lineup.
Lineups are announced and players are warming up.
Charlotte will wear their purple kit tonight.
Messi and Co. arrive at the stadium.
DRV PNK Stadium is ready for action!
Hello to all on this fine Leagues Cup matchday!
Inter Miami's win over FC Dallas in the Round of 16 was one of the most thrilling games of 2023, in any sport. Miami was down 4-2 late in the game, but a Dallas own goal in the 80th minute set the stage for Lionel Messi to create magic: a game-tying free-kick in the 85th minute. It marked the second late free-kick contributing to a win of Messi' short tenure with Inter, with the first coming in the 94th minute against Cruz Azul in the group stage.
Charlotte have had their fair share of dramatic games on their run to the quarterfinals as well. They bested Cruz Azul on penalties in the Round of 32, and in the Round of 16 they scored twice within one minute to take a 2-1 lead against the Houston Dynamo. Charlotte are led by Polish forward Karol Swiderski, who leads the team in goals in both MLS and Leagues Cup.
In Miami's game vs. Dallas, Messi, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba started a game together for the first time since May 16, 2021. They are all expected to be in the starting lineup once again on Friday night under the guidance of manager Tata Martino.
That will do it from DRV PNK Stadium, as Inter Miami wins 4-0 and advances to the semifinals of the Leagues Cup!