Leagues Cup roundup: Lionel Messi returns but Inter Miami suffer shock group-stage exit as Columbus stay alive and Liga MX sides impress

The stakes were high for Miami. They needed to not only win, but also win big against Leon. It was always going to be a tough assignment, too. Leon had won both of their Leagues Cup games heading into Wednesday night's fixture, besting both Orlando and Nashville. Miami, meanwhile, were in an awkward spot. German Berterame is yet to fully recover from injury. Luis Suarez is suspended.

But there was good news in the surprise return of Messi. The legendary Argentine had speculated that he wasn't sure if he could continue to play soccer following the tragic passing of his father shortly after the World Cup. Messi hadn't trained all week, but he arrived at the stadium and declared himself ready to play.

The circumstances looked pretty good for his introduction. Miami led 1-0, and needed a few more to bolster their goal difference. Instead, the Herons collapsed and lost 3-2. Messi, for his part, was lively and full of attacking ideas. But there will be no Leagues Cup win this year.

FC Cincinnati were handed a truly nightmarish Leagues Cup schedule.

The seeding system is complex, but, in effect, the idea is to ensure that there are as many high-profile matchups as possible in this thing. And for two games, Cincinnati navigated things wonderfully. Pachuca and Pumas were dispatched by a total of 5-1. Evander, who has come out of the World Cup break playing some of his best football in years, led the charge with a goal contribution in each.

Tuesday night really should have been a continuation of all the good stuff. Instead, it was a collapse. Evander bagged shortly before halftime, and Cincinnati were in cruise control at home. But then, things changed. In the 79th minute, veteran goalkeeper Evan Louro spilled a shot. Folrian Monzon turned home. He made a remarkably similar mistake five minutes later. A shot at redemption nearly came with a possible penalty in stoppage time, but a lengthy VAR check saw an appeal chalked off. Cincy will now need a slew of upsets around them to stand a chance of making the last eight.

In the other part of Ohio, things were a lot more successful - if equally nervy. Pumas had struggled in their Leagues Cup campaign and were mathematically eliminated heading into the final matchday. All they could do against the Crew was spoil the party. And they came so, so close. Columbus took a 1-0 lead through Tarun Karumanchi after just nine minutes. But an equalizer from Alvaro Angulo on the stroke of halftime made things nervy. And then Keylor Navas started saving everything. He made three big stops for the Mexican side in the second half, sufficient to send the game to penalties.

Eight points would certainly seem to be the bar to clear to ensure qualification into the next round - making the penalty shootout absolutely crucial for Columbus. Pumas missed two of theirs, and Nicolas Hagen saved a third. Never has a 2-2 draw felt so good.

If MLS has been something of a mixed bag, Liga MX has been more clearly divided between the contenders and the also-rans. Ten of its teams had already been eliminated after Matchday 2, with several suffering heavy defeats. At the other end of the spectrum, Leon, Club America and Cruz Azul appear to have all but secured their places in the last eight.

Monterrey did their part in Wednesday night’s late kickoff, too. Rayados needed a regulation win over a much-changed Nashville side to remain alive, although qualification is still out of their hands. A familiar face to MLS delivered it, with Hugo Cuypers scoring a wonderful volley in second-half stoppage time to seal a 2-1 victory. Monterrey must now wait on other results, but beating one of MLS’s strongest teams at least kept their hopes alive.

Charlotte were sitting pretty for 90 minutes against Pachuca. And they really should have been. There are some really good Liga MX sides here - Toluca, Tigres, Cruz Azul and Club America among them. Pachuca are a step below, led by a smart striker in Salomon Rondon but lacking in the kind of game-changing quality that some of the best teams in Liga MX possess. They are, in effect, a pretty solid mid-table team.

That should make them pretty beatable for a team such as Charlotte. They might be lacking a bit of attacking punch, but the signing of Allan Saint-Maximin looked shrewd, and there's enough here defensively to secure at least a draw against a middling Mexican side that had nothing to play for on the night.

But Charlotte offered little. And in the 91st minute, Alan Bautista made them pay. His goal wasn't the prettiest thing. Charlotte's defense collapsed and Bautista simply slotted home. It might just have seen their campaign end early.