Leagues Cup: Messi's emotional return fails to prevent Inter Miami's elimination

Not even Leo Messi's return could overcome the nearly impossible challenge Inter Miami faced in the Leagues Cup. The Florida-based team was eliminated from the tournament after losing 3-2 to Mexico's León in its final group-stage match, during which the Argentine star received a huge ovation upon his return to the field following his father's funeral.

The Inter Miami captain, who flew in from Argentina on Tuesday night, entered the game as a substitute at the start of the second half, when his team was leading 1-0 and still had a chance to advance. With a two-goal performance by Colombian Daniel Arcila, León staged a comeback to secure a victory that made them the first team to qualify for the quarterfinals of this joint tournament between MLS and the Mexican league.

With nine points, La Fiera took the lead in the Liga MX group and secured one of the four spots in the group for the knockout stage. As for the Garzas, this is the first time they've been eliminated in the first phase since the tournament's expansion in 2023.

Inter Miami, which was required to win and hope for other results, finished with three points and no chance of making it into the top four of the MLS bracket, which on Wednesday saw its first two qualifiers, Columbus Crew and Real Salt Lake.

Later, Toluca also secured its spot with a 3-1 home win over FC Dallas, another team eliminated on Wednesday.

Messi's doubts about retirement following his father's death

"It hurts to be out of this competition because it's a beautiful tournament, and there are many young players who have either won it or lost the final," lamented their coach, Guillermo Hoyos. With little chance of advancing to the quarterfinals, the crowd at Nu Stadium focused on supporting Messi on Wednesday during this difficult time for the captain.

A few hours earlier, the Argentine star published an emotional farewell letter to Jorge Messi, his father and agent, in which he stated he had "quite a few doubts" about whether he would continue playing soccer "much longer."

La Pulga, however, wasted no time in making himself available to Hoyos to try to get the team back on track after Saturday's loss to Monterrey. "It's incredible what he did to be with us today," acknowledged Brazilian midfielder Casemiro, the latest arrival at the club co-owned by David Beckham.

"He's an example for all of us because he's surely going through a very tough time, but he has an incredible commitment to the players and the club. I've never seen anything like it in my life, and we have to thank him," said the former Real Madrid and Manchester United player.

A comeback that knocks Messi out

The night started well for the home team when the young American Daniel Pinter opened the scoring in the 42nd minute. Hoyos brought Messi on after halftime to extend the lead, but it was León—which had been focused on defense up to that point—that equalized with Arcila's first goal on a lightning-fast counterattack in the 50th minute.

Italian Yannick Bright put Inter back in front in the 54th minute, but Mexican Juan Pablo Domínguez (61') and Arcila again (83') completed the Mexican comeback.

The Leagues Cup also loses Griezmann

In addition to Messi, the tournament lost another of its star players, Frenchman Antoine Griezmann, following Orlando City's elimination after a 2-2 draw against Atlético San Luis.

Wednesday's matchday, the penultimate one of the group stage, saw the first teams qualify for the knockout rounds, which will culminate in the final on September 6. León, thanks to its win over Miami, has secured a spot with nine points and will be joined by Toluca, with six.

The Diablos Rojos, coached by Argentine Antonio Mohamed, defeated FC Dallas 3-1 with goals from Alexis Vega (on a penalty kick), Uruguayan Federico Viñas, and Érick Gutiérrez.

Also with six points are América and Cruz Azul, who have one game remaining, as well as Monterrey and Juárez, who have already played their three matches and still have a chance to advance.

The Rayados de Monterrey defeated Nashville 2-1 on Wednesday with a comeback capped by goals from Orbelín Pineda in the 52nd minute and Belgian Hugo Cuypers in the 90+2nd minute.

Columbus Crew and Real Salt Lake, the top-ranked teams in the MLS

Columbus Crew and Real Salt Lake, leaders of the MLS group with eight and seven points, respectively, secured their spots in the quarterfinals thanks to Wednesday's results.

Los Angeles FC sits in third place, also with seven points, after Wednesday's 1-1 draw against Querétaro, which they defeated 5-3 in a penalty shootout. However, South Korean Son Heung-min's team could be overtaken on Thursday by other teams such as Austin and Robert Lewandowski's Chicago Fire, which both have six points.