Five different players netted a goal for Nashville SC in a 5-0 dismantling of visiting Minnesota United in a Leagues Cup quarterfinal match on Friday night.
Minnesota played a man down after D.J. Taylor was shown a red card in the 34th minute. Shaq Moore scored the first goal five minutes later, opening the floodgates.
Teal Bunbury made it 2-0 just before halftime and Alex Muyl, Sam Surridge and Hany Mukhtar got in on the action shortly after the break.
Taylor fouled Jacob Shaffelburg from behind just outside the box to earn his booking for denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity. Goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair and the Loons didn’t stand a chance from then on.
In the semifinals, Nashville will face the winner between Los Angeles FC and Mexican side Monterrey, who were still playing their quarterfinal match late Friday evening.
Inter Miami 4, Charlotte FC 0
Lionel Messi continued his scoring streak with his eighth goal since his Miami debut to seal a victory over visiting Charlotte in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
It was a quiet night by Messi’s standards, scoring only on a late one-timer from Leonardo Campana’s cross after he had found the net twice in each of his first three starts.
Josef Martinez and Robert Taylor scored before halftime, and Messi’s presence also helped create a second-half own goal that put the match out of reach.
Charlotte failed to register a shot on target before halftime and finished with three on an evening that the club reverted to its league form.
Union 2, Queretaro 1
Chris Donovan struck 10 minutes into second-half stoppage time to lift host Philadelphia past Liga MX club Queretaro in Chester, Pa.
Queretaro defender Omar Mendoza was served a red card seven minutes into stoppage time to open the door for the Union to capitalize. Kai Wagner’s low cross from the left side found the right foot of Donovan, who easily chipped the ball past goalkeeper Fernando Tapia.
Jesus Bueno scored for the Union in the 10th minute and Angel Sepulveda knotted the match for Queretaro in the 65th.
The Union will host Messi and Miami in a semifinal match on Tuesday.
Monterrey 3, LAFC 2
Monterrey used a penalty kick and an LAFC own goal to rally from a two-goal deficit and stun the hosts in Pasadena, Calif.
In a match played at the historic Rose Bowl, Rogelio Funes Mori delivered the winner for Monterrey in the 88th minute. Jordi Cortizo’s initial shot was parried by diving LAFC goalkeeper John McCarthy, but Funes Mori put the rebound into the far corner.
LAFC got on the scoreboard quickly when Denis Bouanga scored on a penalty kick in the second minute. The hosts held a 2-0 halftime advantage after Mateusz Bogusz scored off Bouanga’s assist in the 42nd minute.
But Sergio Canales drew a foul on Kellyn Acosta and buried his penalty kick in the bottom-right corner to cut Monterrey’s deficit in half. Then, Monterrey had a corner kick in the 80th minute and Victor Guzman’s attempt to collect the ball glanced off LAFC’s Sergi Palencia and into LAFC’s net.
Monterrey is the only Liga MX club left standing in the Leagues Cup.
–Field Level Media
