76ers’ Joel Embiid Encourages Philly to Show Love to Lionel Messi
Tuesday night marks a major milestone for soccer in the City of Brotherly Love. As the Philadelphia Union look to continue their run in the Leagues Cup, they are set to host one of the greatest players the game has seen for the first time.
Last Friday, Lionel Messi and Inter Miami CF took on Charlotte FC in the Quarterfinals stage. With a 4-0 blowout victory, Messi and Inter Miami moved on to the Semifinals stage. Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Union faced Queretaro in a rather tight matchup that was settled in the final minutes of extra time.
The Union avoided a shootout in the end by taking a 2-1 lead with a major goal. After defeating their Quarterfinal opponent, the Union are officially set to host Messi and Miami on Tuesday night.
On Tuesday afternoon, Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid encouraged the city to show love to the Argentina-born soccer star.
Embiid’s love for the game of soccer is well-known. Not only is he known to play the video game FIFA a lot, but Embiid also likes to Tweet about his favorite teams during game action.
And although Embiid wants those in attendance at Subaru Park in Chester on Tuesday night to show love to Messi, he makes it clear that he’s rooting for the home team still.
Ever since Messi debuted with his MLS squad, Inter Miami has seen a ton of success. After defeating Cruz Azul in the group stage, Miami faced Orlando City SC in the Round of 32 of the Leagues Cup.
A 3-1 victory over Orlando allowed Miami to advance to the Round of 16, where they faced FC Dallas. After a 4-4 tie at the end of regulation, Miami won 5-3 in the penalty kick phase before they dominated Charlotte last week.
Currently, Messi leads the Leagues Cup in scoring with eight goals. The Union will get their chance to face the Golden Ball winner on Tuesday night as they look to advance to the 2023 Leagues Cup Final.
