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The 2023 Leagues Cup final was the final match of the third edition of the Leagues Cup, a soccer tournament played between clubs from Major League Soccer (MLS) and Liga MX. The match was played on August 19, 2023, at Geodis Park in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. It was contested by hosts Nashville SC and Inter Miami CF, both recent expansion teams who had yet to win a competitive trophy. Miami took the lead in the first half through a goal from Lionel Messi, while Fafà Picault equalized after half-time for Nashville; the match was tied 1–1 after regulation and both 15-minute extra time periods. In the ensuing penalty shoot-out, Inter Miami CF won 10–9 with the final round contested by the two goalkeepers for both teams. Miami's goalkeeper Drake Callender won man of the match honors for his play throughout the match, including his save on Elliot Panicco in the penalty shoot-out and his successful penalty to win the title for his team. Road to the final The Leagues Cup is an annual soccer tournament for clubs from Major League Soccer (MLS) in the United States and Canada and Liga MX of Mexico. The 2023 edition, the third in the tournament's history, was the first to be expanded to include all 47 teams from the two leagues. MLS and Liga MX both paused their regular seasons for the duration of the Leagues Cup, which began with a group stage in mid-July and would conclude with the final in mid-August. The entire tournament was hosted in the United States and Canada. Both finalists qualified for the 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup. Both finalists, Nashville SC and Inter Miami CF, entered MLS as expansion teams in the 2020 season. The most recent of their six regular season meetings was on May 17, 2023, which Nashville hosted and won 2–1. Six days later, the two sides met again in the U.S. Open Cup round of 16, which Inter Miami CF hosted and won 2–1. The only previous U.S. club to play in a Leagues Cup final was Seattle Sounders FC, who lost in the 2021 edition. Both finalists had regular season matches scheduled for the same weekend as the Leagues Cup final that were postponed to October due to their advancement in the tournament. Nashville SC Nashville SC had qualified for the MLS Cup Playoffs in its first three seasons in the league and had advanced as far as the quarterfinals in the U.S. Open Cup, but had yet to win a trophy. The team finished tenth in the 2022 regular season standings and were seeded into the Central 4 group alongside Toluca and the Colorado Rapids. Prior to the Leagues Cup break, Nashville SC were fifth in the Supporters' Shield race but had lost five of their six most recent matches. In their opening match against Colorado, Nashville won 2–1 with goals from substitutes Hany Mukhtar and Jacob Shaffelburg in the second half before conceding late to the Rapids. The team gained and lost its lead twice in the first half of their match against Toluca, which included a penalty awarded in stoppage time by the video assistant referee. Toluca scored again the second half and won 4–3; Nashville finished second in the group and advanced to the knockout stage after Colorado's 4–1 loss to Toluca. The team opened the knockout round against FC Cincinnati, the leaders in the 2023 Supporters' Shield race and host of the match. After a scoreless first half, Nashville took the lead through a tap-in by Anibal Godoy but conceded a penalty kick that was converted by Brandon Vázquez. The match finished at 1–1 in regulation time and was immediately followed by a penalty shootout that Nashville won 5–4 after a save on Matt Miazga's shot. The team returned home to host Mexico's Club América in the round of 16; Walker Zimmerman scored the opening goal for Nashville in the second half, which was followed by an equalizer from Diego Valdés for América. In stoppage time, América earned a penalty that Julián Quiñones converted for a 2–1 lead, but Nashville's debutant striker Sam Surridge equalized in the ninth minute to send the match to a penalty shootout. Nashville manager Gary Smith substituted goalkeeper Elliot Panicco in for Joe Willis, repeating a strategy used in the round of 32 shootout. In the sixth round, a shot by Nashville defender Jack Maher was initially saved by Luis Malagón and triggered a celebration from América and several pitch invaders. A video assistant referee check determined that Malagón had illegally left the touchline before Maher had taken his shot, which necessitated a retake. Maher's retaken penalty was scored and extended the shootout, which ultimately ended with a 6–5 win for Nashville after Jonathan dos Santos missed for América and Daniel Lovitz converted. Nashville SC advanced to the quarterfinals and won 5–0 against Minnesota United FC, who were down to 10 players after defender D. J. Taylor was sent off with a red card in the 34th minute. The team's two first-half goals were created by Jacob Shaffelburg's crosses into the box, which found Shaq Moore and Teal Bunbury; three goals within a nine-minute span followed after half-time. Goalkeeper Joe Willis left the team after the quarterfinal match due to personal reasons and was replaced as starter by Panicco. Nashville then defeated CF Monterrey 2–0 in the semifinals with goals from substitutes Surridge and Picault in the second half while the team managed fatigue and injuries. It was the first defeat for Monterrey against an MLS team in a knockout competition; Monterrey had traveled over 7,600 miles (12,200 km) during the tournament, which the club's president complained was an unfair advantage for MLS teams. Inter Miami CF Inter Miami CF entered MLS as an expansion team in 2020 and had yet to advance to a prior tournament final. The team finished twelfth in the 2022 regular season standings and were seeded into the South 3 group. Before the Leagues Cup break, Miami were at the bottom of the Eastern Conference in regular season play with 18 points in 22 matches and on an 11-match winless streak. During the 2023 summer transfer window, the club signed forward Lionel Messi, midfielder Sergio Busquets, and defender Jordi Alba, all former FC Barcelona players and among the world's best in their positions; Inter Miami CF also signed a trio of young South American prospects to under-22 Designated Player contracts and offloaded veteran players to keep salary costs manageable and under the cap. Head coach Phil Neville was fired on June 1 and temporarily replaced by assistant Javier Morales until Gerardo "Tata" Martino joined in July. To prepare for the Leagues Cup, an additional 3,000 seats were added to DRV PNK Stadium, the temporary home of Inter Miami CF in the suburb of Fort Lauderdale. Miami made their cup debut against Cruz Azul and took the lead through a Robert Taylor goal before half-time, but Uriel Antuna equalized for Cruz Azul in the 65th minute. Messi entered the match as a substitute prior to the equalizer and scored his first goal for the club—a free kick in stoppage time—to cli.... Discover the Erick Haakenson popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Erick Haakenson books.