Inter Miami and Lionel Messi are preparing for one of the most important matches in the club’s history, as they have reached the Eastern Conference Final for the first time, where they will face New York City at Chase Stadium after overcoming Nashville SC and Cincinnati FC.
The Argentine has proven throughout the regular season and playoffs to be one of the best players in Major League Soccer and for Inter Miami his performances have been enough for the Florida side to be on the verge of history and compete for the first time in the MLS Cup.
The statistic that makes Inter Miami the favorite over NYC FC in the Eastern Conference Final
The match against Cincinnati was a tremendous performance by Lionel Messi, who scored one goal and provided three assists, taking his career tally to 404. Once again, he demonstrated his quality to open the scoring and then be crucial with his pinpoint passes, finding the spaces to score convincingly and advance to the Eastern Conference final
For New York, this recent statistic is a warning because they not only have to make sure that Messi does not score, but they must also pay attention to the Argentine’s passes, as he generates goal-scoring opportunities that can change the course of the game at any time, always finding his teammates and what has translated into important victories.
A reminder of this is what happened the last time they met on MLS Matchday 34 in 2025, when Inter Miami thrashed NYC 4-0 away and Lionel Messi was the star of the show with two goals and an assist, being decisive.
In addition to that match, the Argentine has had other key matches in which he has been decisive with his assists and have ended in a thrashing. On May 4, 2024, they beat the New York Red Bulls 5-1 with five assists from Messi, and then on October 5, 2025, they beat the New England Revolution 4-1 in which Lionel again provided three assists.
When is the Eastern Conference Final between Inter Miami and New York City FC?
Saturday, November 29 is a decisive day in Inter Miami’s aspirations and its dream of reaching the MLS Cup for the first time in its history, but for that it will have to defeat a NYC that comes to the playoffs without the label of favorite, but has been able to overcome Charlotte FC and Philadelphia Union.The match is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. and will be played at Chase Stadium, as the prelude to the MLS Cup. On the other side in the Western Conference, the ticket will be disputed by San Diego FC and Vancouver Whitecaps.
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