The China Mail - Sounders out to 'prove a point' against Messi's Inter in Leagues Cup final

Argentine superstar Messi returned from injury to score a late brace that propelled Inter to a dramatic 3-1 come-from-behind victory over Orlando City in Wednesday's semi-finals.

The 38-year-old admitted he felt "scared" in the first half after suffering one setback already in his recovery from a right hamstring injury.

But the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner worked his magic with a second-half penalty and the game-winning goal in the space of 11 minutes.

Led by Messi and his former Barcelona teammates Luis Suarez and Jordi Alba, Miami have emerged from their mid-season Major League Soccer doldrums with nine victories, three draws and two defeats in 14 matches since the start of July.

They are aiming to add another Leagues Cup title to the one they captured in 2023 in Messi's magical first season with the MLS club.

But the Sounders -- whose $16.7 million payroll is dwarfed by Miami's $46.8 million player compensation total -- are quietly building a superb season themselves.

Tied with Orlando for most goals scored in MLS this season, Seattle have just one defeat in 14 matches since exiting the Club World Cup and have out-scored their Leagues Cup opponents 13-2 in five matches with eight different players scoring goals.

They are vying to go one better than their 2021 Leagues Cup final appearance -- and if they can, they will become the first MLS team to win every North American trophy on offer.

They already own two MLS Cup crowns, an MLS Supporters Shield, four US Open Cups and a CONCACAF Champions Cup.

"We're an organization that is always fighting for titles," Sounders defender Alex Roldan said. "We've been in many finals before, and this is another objective and goal that we've set for ourselves, to be the best in the league, the best in the continent.

"We're going out there to prove a point and hopefully finish that game with a trophy."

Both finalists in the tournament featuring MLS and Liga-MX clubs are assured of berths in the 2026 CONCACAF Champions Cup.

Sunday's winner will secure direct entry to the round of 16 in the regional tournament that will account for one FIFA Club World Cup berth in 2029.

The winners of the third-place playoff between Los Angeles Galaxy and Orlando will also qualify for the CONCACAF Champions Cup.

The Sounders are embracing the spike in interest Messi's presence brings.

On Thursday, they announced that upper bowl seats at Lumen Field are being made available in anticipation that the Leagues Cup single-match attendance record of 50,675 -- set in July 24 in a match between San Jose Earthquakes and Chivas de Guadalajara -- will be broken.

"We're hosting the greatest player (of all time)," Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer said. "Miami is coming to Seattle in a meaningful championship game.

"It's been a great summer," he said, "I'm hoping to make it an even better summer on Sunday."

C.Fong--ThChM