It wasn’t Messi who got Inter Miami on the scoresheet for the club’s first conference final.
It was Tadeo Allende, the 26-year-old Argentine only at Inter Miami for one year, on a loan from Spanish club Celta de Vigo, who scored a hat trick in the 5-1 win over New York City FC to send Inter to their first MLS Cup Final.
Allende was, of course, named the player of the game on the broadcast, after scoring three goals, eclipsing his prior two standout playoff performances.
In 31 games during the regular season, Allende scored 11 goals. Just in the playoffs, he has scored eight, including back-to-back-to-back multigoal performances to get Inter Miami into the final.
He scored both of Inter Miami’s goals in the opening part of the first half to give the Herons the cushion they would need to hold off NYCFC, then got the final goal for the emphatic victory.
Allende’s impact started in the first-round elimination game against Nashville, when he scored twice to get Inter Miami into the Eastern Conference semifinal, where he once again had two goals to propel the team into the conference final.
Messi, seems to be on track for another MVP season in what would be historic consecutive campaigns, is the only player with more goal contributions for Inter Miami during this run. Messi has provided Allende with three assists during these playoffs, while Jordi Alba has provided two to him.
Inter Miami, as Eastern Conference champion, will play the winner of the Western Conference next Saturday, which will either be San Diego FC or the Vancouver Whitecaps.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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