FC Cincinnati vs. Inter Miami U.S. Open Cup soccer odds: Heavy action on Lionel Messi to score again, special Messi Star Cam streaming on Paramount+

For the first time in franchise history, Inter Miami raised a trophy over the weekend as it beat Nashville FC in penalty kicks Saturday in the Music City to win the Leagues Cup and stay unbeaten since Lionel Messi joined the squad. He still hasn't played an official Major League Soccer match and will have to wait a little longer to do so, as Inter Miami visits FC Cincinnati in the U.S. Open Cup semifinals. You can see the match on CBS Sports Golazo Network and there will be a special Messi Star Cam on Paramount+.

Inter Miami opened as a -105 favorite at BetMGM and is now +130 despite taking 91% of the bets and 93% of the money. A regulation draw is +240, which is taking only 2% of the bets and 4% of the money. The four most-wagered player props are all on Messi:

• Messi to score anytime goal (-125)
• Messi to score two or more goals (+400)
• Messi to score first goal (+320)
• Messi to score three or more goals (+1400)

Inter Miami won all seven Leagues Cup games with Messi on the roster -- the seven-game winning streak is a franchise record for all competitions -- and he totaled 10 goals in that span, which won him Golden Boot honors for the. The tournament featured all teams from MLS and Liga MX. It was Messi's 44th trophy for club and country, more than any other player all time.

Inter Miami has outscored opponents 22-8 since Messi arrived and has won five of the seven matches in regulation. Prior to Messi's arrival, Inter was on a six-game winless streak. Messi is already third on the all-time goalscorers for Inter Miami in seven appearances. The franchise record is 29 goals by Gonzalo Higuain, who reached that mark in 70 appearances.

The U.S. Open Cup, the oldest soccer competition in this country (founded in 1914), is like the FA Cup in England in that essentially every pro American soccer franchise competes in it. The 2023 field featured 99 teams, including a modern-era record 71 professional sides.

MLS has dominated the tournament as one would expect, with no lower division team winning the Cup since the Rochester Rhinos did so in 1999. The 2022 U.S. Open Cup marked the return of the competition after the 2020 and 2021 tournaments were canceled due COVID. Orlando FC won it last year.

It's the first U.S. Open Cup match for Miami since June 7, six weeks before Messi's debut, when it beat the Birmingham Legion of the USLC 1-0 in the quarterfinals on a goal by Nicolás Stefanelli. It's the first time Inter Miami has gotten this far in the U.S. Open Cup.

While Inter Miami sits last in the entire MLS table with 18 points, FC Cincinnati is atop the table with 51 points but comes off an ugly 3-0 loss at Columbus on Sunday to snap a four-game unbeaten streak. Luciano Acosta leads Cincinnati with 12 goals in MLS competition. FC Cincinnati is currently the +525 favorite at Caesars Sportsbook to win the MLS Cup. Miami is second at +550 despite currently sitting way outside the playoff field.

The winner faces the winner of the tonight's semifinal between the Houston Dynamo and Real Salt Lake on Sept. 27 for the title. Houston is a +130 favorite against Real Salt Lake. If Miami prevails, it would host Houston or visit Real Salt Lake.

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