Inter Miami vs Charlotte FC score, result, highlights as Lionel Messi scores in rout to snag Leagues

With seven goals in his first four games for Inter Miami, Lionel Messi refused to take a night off. Inter Miami already had the game in hand, but Messi continued his white-hot ways by putting the cherry on top with another strike in a 4-0 romp over Charlotte FC.

Messi's introduction to life in the U.S. has been nothing short of electric, scoring late winners and equalizers, bagging ridiculous free-kicks, bringing teammates into the attack, and dazzling crowds to remind everyone how much fun it can be to be the greatest player of all-time.

Christian Lattanzio and Charlotte became the latest MLS side to fall victim to Messi and Inter Miami's brilliance, as a total team effort put the Eastern Conference's last-placed team into the Leagues Cup semifinals. They will match up against the Philadelphia Union, who downed Queretaro 2-1 on a 101st minute winner.

Messi was less influential than usual in the opening half, but all that did was create openings for his teammates. Josef Martinez got the game started with a penalty in the 12th minute, and Robert Taylor continued his own hot streak to put Inter Miami up 2-0 before halftime. In the second half, Charlotte FC failed to make the necessary changes and an own-goal put Miami 3-0 up, before Messi finished it off three minutes from full-time.

The Sporting News followed the Inter Miami vs Charlotte FC match live, providing score updates, commentary and highlights as they happened.

MORE: Lionel Messi continued his Marvel goal celebrations by channeling Spiderman vs Charlotte FC

South Florida evenings. 🏟️ pic.twitter.com/lNt0ON1tNM

Inter Miami vs Charlotte live score

Starting lineups:

Inter Miami (4-3-3, right to left): 1. Callender (GK) — 2. Yedlin, 27. Kryvtsov, 31. Miller, 18. Alba (N. Allen, 88') — 3. Arroyo (Ulloa, 88'), 5. Busquets, 30. Cremaschi (D. Ruiz, 72') — 10. Messi, 17. J. Martinez (Campana, 60'), 16. Taylor (D. Gomez, 72').

Charlotte FC (4-1-4-1, right to left): 1. Kahlina (GK) — 24. Lindsey, 29. Malanda, 34. Privett, 25. Afful (Cambridge, 84') — 8. Westwood — 15. Bender (Vargas, 67'), 37. Arfield (Agyemang, 46'), 13. Bronico, 7. Jozwiak (Dejaegere, 46') — 11. Swiderski.

Inter Miami vs Charlotte live updates, highlights, commentary

FULLTIME: Inter Miami 4-0 Charlotte FC

While the match still felt somewhat in the balance at halftime if Charlotte FC could come up with the magic formula, in the end it finishes in a rout. The visitors in Ft. Lauderdale had no answer for the wealth of Inter Miami talent, as Charlotte's mistakes were punished on both ends of the pitch throughout the match.

Queretaro has equalized against the Philadelphia Union, so Inter Miami's semifinal opponent has yet to be decided.

Lionel Messi in 5 matches with Inter Miami:

⚽️ Goals: 8
🎯 Assists: 1 pic.twitter.com/zZtFzpzhPF

Inter Miami vs Charlotte FC: Second Half

87th min: GOAL! INTER MIAMI! LIONEL MESSI GETS HIS GOAL! Charlotte FC look utterly defeated, and Inter Miami appeared happy to see the game out, but a speculative ball forward to Leonardo Campana sees the No. 9 pick up possession on the doorstep, and after being closed down initially, he dribbles away and fires centrally to Messi who puts the cherry on top for Inter Miami!

Lionel Messi is now the third-highest goal scorer in Inter Miami history, and he's played five matches.

Leo couldn't take a night off from scoring!

Messi makes it 4-0. 🇦🇷 pic.twitter.com/9E2ojuweZZ

81st min: Chance, Inter Miami! Diego Gomez has a great chance saved! Charlotte FC are throwing numbers forward in the hopes of getting a consolation goal, and it leaves an opening for Gomez who has his shot just tapped wide by Kristijan Kahlina.

On the ensuing corner, Leonardo Campana tries an acrobatic finish on the recycle, but the weak effort is collected by Kahlina.

78th min: GOAL! INTER MIAMI! Charlotte are immediately punished for their miss, as an own goal puts Inter Miami through to the smifinal for sure! It's a glorious chance created by Lionel Messi through the middle, and after he feeds left for Diego Gomez, the cross to Leonardo Campana in front is directed into the net by a sliding Adilson Malanda.

77th min: Chance, Charlotte! OH NO AGYEMANG HAS MISSED! The Charlotte substitute has a free header at the far post and puts it into the ground and then over the bar! It's a glorious cross by Kerwin Vargas on the right, but Agyemang can't hit the target.

72nd min: We've come to our second half hydration break. Two more substitutes enter for the home side, as Benjamin Cremaschi and Robert Taylor are withdrawn in favor of Diego Gomez and David Ruiz.

Here's a fun side-by-side photo of David Beckham and Lionel Scaloni face-to-face during their playing days and now arm-in-arm at halftime of tonight's game.

Eran otros tiempos, era otra historia pic.twitter.com/BeJMXM9ycP

69th min: Chance, Inter Miami! MESSI SHOT IS BLOCKED ON THE DOORSTEP! Robert Taylor down the left cuts back for Lionel Messi at the penalty spot, but Adilson Malanda gets a tiny touch right before Messi makes contact, and the shot is blocked by Andrew Privett. If it found its way through, it would have been a third goal for Inter Miami, as Kristijan Kahlina was rooted to the spot.

66th min: Christian Lattanzio makes another change, withdrawing Ben Bender in favor of Kerwin Vargas. Bender wasn't very influential, but he was deployed out of position on the wing.

64th min: Now Kamal Miller goes into the book for a huge shirt pull on Patrick Agyemang. The 22-year-old Ghanan has been bright since coming on.

62nd min: Ashley Westwood earns the game's first booking from referee Ismael Elfath for basically bear hugging Lionel Messi off the ball.

60th min: Gerardo Martino makes his first substitution, withdrawing Josef Martinez for Leo Campana, which has become a consistent change on the hour mark. Martinez looks a bit out of gas. This is a fierce battle for the striker position, and neither has really snatched the lead.

58th min: Chance, Charlotte FC! Now off a turnover it's the substitute Patrick Agyemang who has a go from the top of the penalty area, but Drake Callender saves! He had lots of space to shoot that, but picked out the goalkeeper!

That's by far Charlotte FC's best chance of the match! It comes off a bad Inter Miami turnover thanks to a poor first touch from Kamal Miller.

Have to give it everything we got.#LeaguesCup2023 pic.twitter.com/RpPw9Osovd

57th min: Chance, Charlotte FC! Karol Swiderski has had enough of this no shots thing, and lets fly from VERY far away, maybe 30 yards out, and it's not far off! He nearly picks out the net, but it flies just wide of the top corner. Not far off!

54th min: Robert Taylor absolutely skins Adilson Malanda, and his run earns space for Lionel Messi two-on-two, but Messi's immediate return is fed through too much traffic and snatched away.

Messi's international head coach Lionel Scaloni is in the house at DRV PNK Stadium!

Lionel Scaloni is in the house to watch Messi 🇦🇷 pic.twitter.com/aUY8Ef3SGK

50th min: Chance, Inter Miami! The whole of DRV PNK Stadium nearly exploded as Lionel Messi, fed by Sergio Busquets, charged diagonally through the 18-yard box. He finally has a hit towards the end of the run, but the whole way he was blanketed well by two defenders, and the shot is blocked by Jaylin Lindsey.

Miami have held the majority of the early possession, but have little reason to drive forward with it. They look cagey.

Kickoff: Charlotte FC head coach Christian Lattanzio, who told the MLS broadcast going into the break that they have to just keep staying the course, then makes two halftime changes. Withdrawn are Scott Arfield and Kamil Jozwiak, with Patrick Agyemang and Brecht Dejaegere coming on as the second half begins.

It's harsh on Jozwiak, whose defensive work rate did well to hem Lionel Messi in, but he offered little in the final third, and with Charlotte chasing the game, they needed an attacking impetus.

Lionel Messi just makes it look easy.pic.twitter.com/JL2mwQH2wt

HALFTIME: Inter Miami 2-0 Charlotte FC

Christian Lattanzio becomes the latest opposing manager to shake his head while heading into the locker room. Charlotte FC played alright through that 45 minutes, but come away down a pair. Their offensive threat has been somewhat sparse, and as such, two defensive mistakes have proven costly.

Inter Miami attacked Harrison Afful, who's in for the suspended Nathan Byrne, and profited off it twice, getting him out of position on both occasions. Lionel Messi hasn't been terribly influential, but it hasn't mattered as his presence alone has had a major effect. Inter Miami continue rolling, through these 45 minutes.

Let's give a shoutout to the security crew at DRV PNK Stadium, who are wearing boots to help run down any would-be pitch invaders. Not messing around in Ft. Lauderdale!

Aw s**t, you know he keeps that MF thang on him… Some of the security guards here at DRV PNK are armed… with soccer cleats. Why? To help them track down Messi-obsessed pitch invaders, of course. pic.twitter.com/eKFmuBZhpN

Inter Miami vs Charlotte FC: First Half

45+1 min: With five minutes of stoppage time shown, Inter Miami appear comfortable to allow Charlotte to possess the ball through the rest of the first half. They haven't threatened much in the attacking third, with Inter Miami showing a renewed defensive structure not yet seen in this Leagues Cup. If they can make this impressive improvement a consistent thing moving forward, they'll be a true problem when MLS play returns.

44th min: Charlotte FC have their best chance of the game on a cross from Scott Arfield deep on the right flank, but Drake Callender commands his area well and snatches it out of the air before Kamil Jozwiak can get on the end of it.

39th min: Like the aftermath of the first goal, Charlotte FC have held a long spell of possession, but have had trouble creating anything to trouble Drake Callender's goal. Inter Miami are relieving pressure by stealing the ball and earning fouls from a somewhat desperate Charlotte team.

The visitors have just one lone shot thus far, which was blocked.

32nd min: GOAL! INTER MIAMI! Inter Miami double their lead through Robert Taylor! For how hard Charlotte FC has worked, this one's far too easy to concede.

DeAndre Yedlin, while standing completely still, feeds Taylor unmarked streaking vertically through the middle. It's so so simple, and Inter Miami now have a 2-0 lead. Lionel Messi wasn't directly involved, but it was his run that pulled Harrison Afful off Yedlin when he received it from Sergio Busquets at the top corner of the 18-yard box.

Yedlin to Taylor for his fourth of the tournament to double our lead 🤩🤩#MIAvCLT | 2-0 pic.twitter.com/Q4AOWxnaES

The ball from @5sergiob to setup the goal 🤌 pic.twitter.com/lJ6PsrKHhf

30th min: Chance, Inter Miami! Lionel Messi, who's had just 12 touches to this point, begins to turn the screw and runs a glorious one-touch buildup on the left edge of the penalty area, ending with a Messi shot on goal. The effort on frame is saved by Kristijan Kahlina from a tight angle.

26th min: Charlotte have a long spell of possession, something Inter Miami are not used to defending, but the hosts shut it down. Jordi Alba is still at the top of his game, playing a big role defensively over those few minutes.

Jordi Alba has been REALLY good...a lot coming his way from Charlotte and he's just shut it down and advanced the offense through him. #InterMiamiCF

22nd min: Kamil Jozwiak snatches away another sloppy ball, this time in the attacking half, but it's deflected out of play. A bit more Charlotte possession ends in Karol Swiderski taking a good looking shot from just inside the top of the penalty area, which is blocked.

Jozwiak has been a menace with Inter Miami on the ball, pouncing on a number of mistakes. A few more and Charlotte may end up punishing the hosts.

20th min: Inter Miami are cooking in the final third, but suddenly Charlotte out of nowhere have a counter through Kamil Jozwiak. The Polish international gets between two defenders, but he doesn't have the pace on the ball to keep the Inter Miami center-backs from catching up, and as he touches back to settle, he slips and loses the ball.

10th min: Penalty, Inter Miami! Referee Ismael Elfath took AGES to make the call, but he points to the spot! Initially Inter Miami wanted a hand ball on Harrison Afful, and replay shows that probably should have been given, but it doesn't matter because just seconds later Afful needlessly barges into Dixon Arroyo inside the top corner of the 18-yard box.

The call survives a VAR review, and it's Josef Martinez, not Lionel Messi, stepping up to take...GOAL! INTER MIAMI! Martinez bags the opener, beating Kristijan Kahlina by sending him the wrong way. The Venezuelan discarded his usual stutter-step run-up for a direct line to the ball, and hits it cleanly.

Inter Miami have now scored in the opening 12 minutes of every single match in Leagues Cup play thus far.

Josef converts his PK to give us the early lead over Charlotte FC 🔥👊#MIAvCLT | 1-0 pic.twitter.com/qKrgXNwX4o

8th min: Charlotte FC's early possessional impetus is gone and Inter Miami are now starting to dominate on the ball. They've held 61 percent possession throughout this Leagues Cup, and at times it's been even more overwhelming than that.

5th min: Chance, Inter Miami! That's the magic of this attack! There's an opportunity in front of goal as the ball is filtered in from the left, with Jordi Alba setting it up for Josef Martinez in front of goal, but Andrew Privett makes a necessary sliding intervention to concede the corner.

Getting in the box and creating chances early on in the match 👏 pic.twitter.com/RLF8JiqOA5

4th min: Charlotte FC has started the match well. They are having to work hard to keep the ball, but have forced Inter Miami to do a lot of chasing early while they knock the ball around. They're doing well to maintain possession under pressure.

Of course, just as I type that, Lionel Messi snatches the ball away in midfield and immediately springs Josef Martinez down the left. Martinez's first touch is a bit sloppy and he can't set the chance up in front of goal right.

Kickoff: The match is under way from Ft. Lauderdale! The MLS broadcast has billed this as "David vs. Goliath" which is notable because Inter Miami, the perceived Goliath of the matchup, is last in the Eastern Conference standings. But they have yet to see Lionel Messi take the field in MLS play, where all that can change. For now, the small sample size proves they are the clear favorite in this quarterfinal game.

The Argentine has scored his seven goals on just 3.4 xG so far through four Leagues Cup games. World-class finishing matters! What else does Messi have in store?

Lionel Messi is the top scorer in the 2023 Leagues Cup thanks to his seven goals for Inter Miami.

Of course he is. pic.twitter.com/jrNpiM1tRR

Inter Miami vs Charlotte FC: Pre-match commentary, analysis, stats, and more

5 mins to kick: The winner of this match takes on the winner of Philadelphia Union vs. Queretaro, and in classic MLS fashion, the start of that match (scheduled for 8 p.m. ET) has been delayed due to power outages.

Subaru Park and the surrounding area are currently experiencing power outage. We are currently working with officials to resolve the situation and will provide updates as they become available.

15 mins to kick: The MLS social accounts are leaning into the whole "script writing" thing. What do you want to see in tonight's script?

T-5 hours until @LeaguesCup chaos begins...

The script writers have been at work. 🤫 Drop your predictions below.

30 mins to kick: No opposing manager has yet figured out how to stop Lionel Messi, and tonight it's Christian Lattanzio's turn to give it a go. He's come up with an interesting plan, based on the lineups — Kamil Jozwiak, usually a right winger, has shifted over to the left, according to Charlotte FC's lineup graphic.

Jozwiak is a winger with an extremely high defensive work rate, ranking in the top 15th percentile amongst MLS wingers in tackles, (91st), blocks (89th), clearances (88th), and aerial duels (85th) according to FBRef. To cover for Jozwiak's flank, Ben Bender gets a rare start out wide, which is slightly out of position for the 22-year-old, who's usually more of a central No. 8/No. 10 hybrid. That leaves Justin Meram and Kerwin Vargas on the bench, so Lattanzio is sacrificing some attacking impetus. We'll see how it works!

Is Kamil Jozwiak an answer to the age-old Lionel Messi question?

He's a mediocre winger from a creative standpoint, but he has a very high defensive volume. Proficient at tackles, blocks, clearances, aerials.

High, high work rate, esp vs dribblers 👀 pic.twitter.com/1QUAt0bgyd

45 mins to kick: Lineups are finally out. It's business as usual for Inter Miami, as Lionel Messi starts with his buddies Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba. The only change for Tata Martino is Benji Cremaschi, as expected, returns to midfield.

For Charlotte FC, head coach Christian Lattanzio has pulled a bit of a fast one, starting young Ben Bender in a wide midfield role in place of both regulars Justin Meram and Kerwin Vargas, while Kamil Jozwiak is swapped from his usual role on the right over to the left flank.

Tonight’s Starting XI vs Charlotte FC#MIAvCLT | 8:30PM ET | 📺#MLSSeasonPass on @AppleTV pic.twitter.com/53kSEx9fVq

1 hour to kick: While we wait for lineups to be posted (they're late), let's bask in the glory of tonight's kit matchup, which is an MLS all-timer. Both teams have excellent use of color, as Inter Miami sport their pink with black accents (I personally prefer the black kit with pink accents, but they're both great), and visiting Charlotte FC have their royal purple with teal accents. Just spectacular. 

Wearing our best suit for the occasion 💎 pic.twitter.com/sioXQplzgA

Llegaron los muchachos 👋#MIAvCLT | 8:30PM ET | 📺 #MLSSeasonPass on @AppleTV pic.twitter.com/ZJV5sXDmEv

1 hour 15 mins to kick: The venue for tonight's match, DRV PNK Stadium in Ft. Lauderdale, is just a temporary location for Inter Miami until their permanent home in Miami is completed.

In truth, though, DRV PNK Stadium is an awesome spot to watch a match. It seats about 18,000 fans but feels like more, and the facilities are excellent. It will be a bummer when they have to depart for the Freedom Park location, which is set to open for the 2025 MLS season.

We are waiting for you Lionel Messi 🐐 pic.twitter.com/tNm0kryva1

1 hour 30 mins to kick: While the connection between Messi and the rest of Inter Miami has been impressive, it's his previous football relationship with Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba that's been most evident on the field.

Five of Messi's seven goals for Inter Miami thus far have been assisted, and while officially only one of those were directly credited to his former Barcelona teammates (the opening goal against FC Dallas in the quarterfinals), Sergio Busquets had a direct hand in at least two others as well.

Lionel Messi, Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets et David Beckham ! 🦩🩷 pic.twitter.com/ofsaeqm7rz

1 hour 45 mins to kick: While the majority of individuals still, according to the betting market, believe that Lionel Messi will lead Inter Miami to victory, there are some late doubts to that as well.

While yesterday Inter Miami sported a -225 moneyline to win in 90 minutes, they now currently sit at -190, while Charlotte FC have moved from +475 to +400. There's also been even greater movement in the game flow department, with Charlotte FC now thought very likely to find at least a goal — the "yes" option on both teams to score has moved from -145 all the way to -185, a significant shift.

MORE: Get a full preview of Inter Miami vs Charlotte FC from a betting perspective here

We’ve battled. And we’re not done yet. #ForTheCrown pic.twitter.com/QxLtiQtWWJ

2 hours to kickoff: When they say that you can feel "something in the air" with Messi Mania, it might just be the humidity they're experiencing. It will be around 88 degrees Fahrenheit at kickoff tonight, but with a humidity approaching 70 percent, it means the heat index will be in the mid to upper 90's. There will definitely be hydration breaks in tonight's match.

Back in Fort Lauderdale for Messimania where the air is borderline drinkable due to humidity, let's go

Inter Miami vs Charlotte lineups, team news

Inter Miami have integrated all three of their new superstars Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets, and Jordi Alba into the starting lineup, and those three will be regularly deployed from here on out, with the exception likely only made for load management. In a knockout competition, there's no way manager Gerardo Martino would look to sit any of them.

"Tata" made one change in midfield against FC Dallas, deploying Diego Gomez in midfield, but it was expected that in-form Benja Cremaschi grabs his starting spot back.

The only injury absentees for Inter Miami are long-term absentees Gregore, Jean Mota, Corentin Jean, Franco Negri, and Ian Fray. Gregore could possibly return from his foot injury soon, but he will need to be built up to full match fitness.

Inter Miami starting lineup (4-3-3): Callender (GK) — Yedlin, Kryvtsov, Miller, Alba — Arroyo, Busquets, Cremaschi — Messi, J. Martinez, Taylor.

Inter Miami subs (12): Jensen (GK), Dos Santos (GK), Sailor, N. Allen, Neville, McVey, Ulloa, Azcona, D. Gomez, D. Ruiz, R. Robinson, Campana.

An injury to goalkeeper Pablo Sisniega saw Kristijan Kahlina unchallenged for the starting spot, and the Croatian has been a mainstay in net all season long. Talisman striker Enzo Copetti has been missing with a leg injury for some time, but his start to life at Charlotte FC had been so-so anyways, so Karol Swiderski has held down the fort up front.

Young midfielder Ben Bender has pushed for time with positive play off the bench, and he earns the spot start over regulars Kerwin Vargas and Justin Meram in a rare wide role. Harrison Afful enters at left-back for the suspended Nathan Byrne.

Charlotte FC starting lineup (4-1-4-1): Kahlina (GK) — Lindsey, Malanda, Privett, Afful — Westwood — Bender, Bronico, Arfield, Jozwiak — Swiderski.

Charlotte FC subs (12): Sisniega (GK), Marks (GK), Sobocinski, Corujo, Tuiloma, D. Jones, Hegardt, Cambridge, Agyemang, Vargas, Meram, Dejaeghere.

How to watch Inter Miami vs Charlotte FC

The match from DRV PNK Stadium will kick off at 8:30 p.m. local time in front of what is expected to be another sold-out crowd to watch Messi.

The match will be available around the world via MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.

Inter Miami vs Charlotte betting odds

While Inter Miami have yet to play a truly challenging opponent since Lionel Messi arrived, they have proven capable of beating up on the lesser ones.

Messi & Friends carved up Atlanta United in the group stage, and they overwhelmed Orlando City in the Round of 32 as well. Inter Miami remain defensively challenged at times, as seen in the Round of 16 at FC Dallas, and while it's hard to see them winning the entire competition, they have a kind draw here with Charlotte FC in the quarterfinal.

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