Leagues Cup Midweek Roundup: Lionel Messi and Inter Miami go full strength, Antoine Griezmann continues strong start and MLS clubs that rotated pay the price

Who are we to bet against Lionel Messi?

There was a sliver, perhaps even a smidge, of doubt that the Inter Miami star would return to his best following the World Cup. It was an exhausting campaign for the Argentine, physically and perhaps emotionally, too. He dragged Argentina to the final and spent most of that game as a bystander while Spain carved his team apart. He offered no timetable for his return to Miami. There was speculation that it could be upwards of a month off for the GOAT.

Yet he returned last Saturday off the bench, and looked pretty tepid. He missed the kind of chance he would usually bury. Miami drew 2-2 against a solid-but-not-brilliant Columbus Crew side. Messi didn't look like he cared very much. And then, Leagues Cup, where Messi clearly cared quite a bit. Miami trailed early to San Luis. But then Messi came alive. He bagged two, assisted another, and Miami were running it by halftime. They ran out 4-2 winners - and it might have been more.

This will be an interesting Leagues Cup for them. They will miss the goals of Luis Suarez, who has dominated MLS play since the World Cup break. There are clear questions about how Messi and German Berterame can play together when the latter returns from a head injury. Casemiro hasn't quite settled yet. The goalkeeping situation still looks a little tenuous. Miami are favorites because they are Miami - but this might not be so dominant. If only they had a little guy to keep them going...

It's worth noting that MLS clubs are going to be heavily favored in this tournament. Whether it be due to (mostly) home-field advantage - the vast majority of fixtures are being played in the United States - or a bit more sharpness, MLS clubs would seem to have the edge. History is on MLS's side, too, with North American clubs winning the last three iterations of this tournament.

But there are still some really good teams in Liga MX. Chivas are one of them. They are perhaps a tier below the Pumas, Club Americas and Cruz Azules of the world. But they will make it difficult for anyone. They also have a strong fanbase in Southern California. So, a "home" game for LAFC against the Liga MX is, well, not really that much of a home game.

Still, LAFC made things happen. They were outpossessed and outshot at home by a superior side. But Denis Bouanga scored, and even though Roberto Alvarado equalized, LAFC picked up two valuable points by winning the penalty shootout. With Monterrey next, that could be a massive result.

Watching Antoine Griezmann in MLS has been, honestly, pretty funny. The Frenchman thought faster that most of La Liga throughout his career, and only really had to leave because his legs couldn't keep up. And now the game is slower in MLS, Griezmann's IQ is carrying him through games. He makes all of the right runs, drifts into all of the right spaces, and it's so selfless in attack. It's quite remarkable to see how many goals a player can contribute to by not touching the ball.

But there's not all that much fun in that for the average matchday-going fan. And it turns out Griezmann can play a bit, too. Tyrese Spicer gave the former France captain an absolute nightmare of a cross in the first half of their fixture against Monterrey. It was hit too hard, at a really awkward height - a couple of feet off the ground. The thing is, Griezmann makes bad passes look like good ones. And he finished wonderfully to give Orlando a 1-0 lead. Spicer added another after the break. And Orlando picked up a valuable win.

This competition might just mean a bit more to them, too. They're only three points out of a playoff spot in the East, but their defense needs shoring up before they can dream big. Until then, a cup run could keep fans excited. When Griezmann is playing like this, it might be time to dream.

It is often remarked that MLS sides' lack of depth costs them in the CONCACAF Champions Cup. The top end of the league might be equal to - or better than - most of Liga MX. But the drop-off for most starting XIs is stark. Across two-leg finals, of which one is away from home, that hurts.

That theory doesn't always hold true - Vancouver Whitecaps simply didn't show up in the 2025 Champions Cup final. Yet for the most part, depth is what is separating MLS from Liga MX, and it was on show when Nashville played Leon Wednesday night. B.J. Callaghan opted to rest Hany Mukhtar, Sam Surridge, Andy Najar and Brian Schwake in their match Wednesday night. Eddie Tagseth, their midfield scrapper, also started on the bench.

The result was predictable. Nashville weren't outclassed, but they didn't have the requisite quality to ever truly threaten. They rely heavily on the Mukhtar-Surridge combination - who wouldn't? When those two aren't there, then Nashville are a little short on ideas. The Eastern Conference leaders managed just two shots on target and conceded late to slump to a 1-0 loss. The San Luis fixture on Sunday suddenly looks mighty important.

FC Cincinnati rotated, too. But they also kept their main man in the side. Evander has been on fire of late, and turned in a magnificent showing over the weekend for his side with one wonderful goal and two tidy assists.

And while FC Cincinnati tweaked here and there, Evander was very much at the center of it all. That was perhaps an obvious call from Pat Noonan. But it was certainly the right one, too. Cincy hosted a strong Pachuca side full of smart veteran nous (Salomon Rondon, anyone?) It could have been a tricky fixture, even at home, but they made it look very easy - even after going down 1-0 early. That's mostly because Evander hit an absolute thunderbolt into the top corner after 20 minutes.

Cincinnati were in cruise control thereafter, and didn't need extensive minutes from Miles Robinson or Kevin Denkey to negotiate what might prove to be the trickiest of their three league phase fixtures. Wonderfully done.