All 76ers

76ers’ Joel Embiid Encourages Philly to Show Love to Lionel Messi

Joel Embiid wants Philly to show "The Goat" love.
Justin Grasso|
76ers’ Joel Embiid Encourages Philly to Show Love to Lionel Messi
76ers’ Joel Embiid Encourages Philly to Show Love to Lionel Messi

In this story:

Philadelphia 76ers

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.

Published
Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Justin Grasso was a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s Philadelphia 76ers On SI Network. Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writers Association. Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoMedia Threads: @JGrassoMedia

Share on XFollow @JGrasso_
Home/News