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Lionel Messi, Inter Miami face FC Cincinnati in US Open Cup semifinal: How to watch

jim reineking, usa today
·6 min read
6

Lionel Messi added a record-setting 44th trophy to his awe-inspiring career collection when Inter Miami won the Leagues Cup final against Nashville SC on Saturday.

He has a shot at a 45th trophy as Inter Miami continues its quest to win the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.

Even before the arrival of Messi, a then-woebegone Inter Miami outfit managed to advance to the semifinals of the U.S. Open Cup. That unique competition continues Wednesday with the semifinals: Inter Miami at FC Cincinnati and Real Salt Lake at Houston Dynamo FC. Only the Houston Dynamo has ever won the U.S. Open Cup previously (in 2018).

FOLLOW LIVE: Lionel Messi, Inter Miami face FC Cincinnati in US Open Cup semis

Inter Miami's Leagues Cup title run means the team will be playing its sixth win-or-go-home knockout game in 22 days on Wednesday night, and then follow that up with three MLS regular-season games in a nine-day span. Despite that workload, Inter Miami coach Tata Martino said Messi will be available for the U.S. Open Cup semifinal.

"We said that at some point he would have to rest because of the load of minutes played," Martino said Monday. "Clearly, Wednesday is not going to be that day. If he does not tell me he wants to rest, he will continue to play."

When is Lionel Messi playing?

Messi and Inter Miami play against FC Cincinnati in a U.S. Open Cup semifinal game at TQL Stadium on Wednesday, Aug. 23 at 7 p.m. ET. The winner will face either Real Salt Lake or Houston Dynamo FC in the final on Sept. 27.

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How to watch Lionel Messi in the U.S. Open Cup

The Inter Miami-FC Cincinnati game can be streamed on the CBS Sports Golazo Network (available for free on the CBS Sports app and Pluto TV) and Paramount+, with Spanish-language broadcasts available on Telemundo and Peacock.

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Ray Hudson on the call for CBS Sports Golazo Network

Former professional soccer player and coach, and now television analyst Ray Hudson will be on the call for CBS Sports Golazo Network for tonight's Inter Miami-FC Cincinnati U.S. Open Cup semifinal game.

Hudson has been a longtime broadcast analyst on games involving Lionel Messi, mostly during his time with FC Barcelona. So much so that there's a delightful compilation of Hudson's very passionate calls of Messi's goals.

If Messi scores tonight, viewers could be in for a treat. Take a look …

What to know about FC Cincinnati

A highly successful United Soccer League team from 2016-18, FC Cincinnati joined MLS as an expansion franchise in 2019.

FC Cincinnati's USL tenure was impressive: It posted the league's best record in 2018 and made a dramatic run to the semifinal of the 2017 U.S. Open Cup. FC Cincinnati took some time, however, to get its footing in MLS. It finished with the league's worst record in its first three seasons, earning the unofficial Wooden Spoon award. Under coach Pat Noonan, the team turned its fortunes around in 2022, making the MLS playoffs for the first time. In 2023, FC Cincinnati is enjoying its best season yet, currently owning the league's best record and in the driver's seat for the Supporters' Shield.

Forward Brandon Vázquez enjoyed a breakthrough season in 2022, scoring 18 goals. That performance earned Vázquez his first call-up to the U.S. national team, for whom he's earned eight caps and scored four goals this year. This season, FC Cincinnati had the most selections to the MLS All-Star team (three): midfielder Luciano Acosta, and defenders Álvaro Barreal and Matt Miazga. Miazga has made 28 appearances for the USMNT, debuting for the team in 2015.

'The eyes of the world will be on Cincinnati': Lionel Messi and his Miami circus are coming to Queen City

What is the U.S. Open Cup?

American soccer history is a disjointed and often-confusing enterprise, barren of the convenience of the century-long continuity of leagues such as Major League Baseball or the National Football League. However, the one thread that ties the game of soccer together in this country through the years has been the U.S. Open Cup (officially known as the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup). The first U.S. Open Cup (originally known as the National Challenge Cup) kicked off in 1913, seven years before the formation of the NFL and 12 years after the opening season of baseball's American League. The U.S. Open Cup — the country’s oldest annual tournament for team sports — has been played every year since its inception with the exception of 2020-21 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The tournament's design was modeled after England's FA Cup (which dates back to 1871), with the single-elimination competition open to U.S.-based amateur and professional clubs. The winner of the U.S. Open Cup — a team that technically is the national champion of American soccer — earns a spot in the Concacaf Champions Cup (the rebranded Concacaf Champions League).

Didn't Inter Miami already qualify for the Concacaf Champions Cup?

Yes! Inter Miami's Leagues Cup win means the team enters the 2024 competition in the Round of 16.

In all, 10 MLS teams could qualify for the expanded 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup (five via MLS competition, three through Leagues Cup, one in U.S. Open Cup and one from the Canadian Championship).

Four MLS teams already have qualified for the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup: Inter Miami (Leagues Cup winner, starts in Round of 16); Nashville SC (Leagues Cup runner-up); Philadelphia Union (Leagues Cup third-place finisher); and the Vancouver Whitecaps (Canadian Championship winners).

Should the U.S. Open Cup winner also hold another Concacaf Champions Cup qualification spot, the tournament's runner-up will earn a Concacaf Champions Cup spot. Should the U.S. Open Cup runner-up hold multiple Concacaf Champions Cup qualification slots, then the next-best MLS club that has accumulated the most regular-season points will earn the slot.

What is Inter Miami's remaining 2023 schedule?

With the exception of the U.S. Open Cup semifinal game on Aug. 23 (which will be available to stream on the CBS Sports Golazo Network), all other Inter Miami games are available to watch via the MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Messi, Inter Miami game today: US Open Cup semifinal vs. FC Cincinnati