Inter Miami and Lionel Messi will be back in action on Tuesday to face Philadelphia Union in the Leagues Cup semifinals for a spot in the tournament’s final match. 

The Gerardo “Tata” Martino coached team put together a dominant win against Charlotte FC in the quarterfinals to quickly leave their troubles of the previous round behind them. In what was arguably Messi’s worst performance since joining Inter Miami, the Herons still got away with a resounding 4-0 win and will now face Philadelphia Union for a spot in Leagues Cup finals. 

The Pennsylvania team has caused less of an impression so far. Like Inter Miami, it required a penalty shootout to move past the round of 16 after drawing 1-1 with the NY Red Bulls. 

It had to fight to wrangle a 2-1 win from Mexican side Querétaro in the next round, only managing to secure its spot in the semifinals when 23 year old striker Chris Donovan scored the winner in the 101th minute during added time.

Despite these woes, Philadelphia Union is currently third in the MLS Eastern Conference, so the game could prove Messi and Inter Miami’s most difficult test yet. It will have the added hurdle of having to travel to Philadelphia’s Subaru Park in Chester, Pennsylvania, in what will be only the second time the World Cup-winner will play away from Florida since joining his new team.

The David Beckham and Jorge Mas owned team are still working to improve their squad. The signings of Argentine youngsters Facundo Farías (20, from Colón de Santa Fe) and Tomás Avilés (19, from Racing Club) have already been announced, and both are already practicing with the team.

“Facundo [Farias] wasn’t supposed to join us so soon, but [Dominican striker] Edison Azcona had an ankle problem in training yesterday and we needed an attack player,” said Martino. “I didn’t want to rush it, but we needed him.”

Inter Miami also announced the purchase of another international roster slot. These are the 224 spots for foreign players that are divided among the 28 MLS clubs, which can be traded or sold. The Herons paid US$125,000 to Los Angeles Galaxy to acquire one of theirs. The club did a similar move when it signed Spanish fullback Jordi Alba, with the Herons buying a registration spot from the San José Earthquakes.

The other semifinal features Nashville SC against the last remaining Mexican side in the competition, Monterrey. The match is set to be played in Nashville after the Inter Miami-Philadelphia game.

Inter Miami and Philadelphia Union will meet in the Leagues Cup semifinals Tuesday, August 15, at the Subaru Park in Pennsylvania. The match is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. local time, 8:00 p.m. Argentina. An Apple TV subscription is required to watch it, with a monthly cost of US$7, plus the MLS Season Pass costing US$15 dollars per month or US$99 for the entire season.