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Lionel Messi is set to play his first game for Inter Miami on July 21 when the Major League Soccer side host Mexico's Cruz Azul in their Leagues Cup opener, managing owner Jorge Mas told the Miami Herald newspaper on Tuesday.

Messi and Miami have agreed terms on a deal and are finalizing paperwork and visas after the Argentine great's announcement this month of his intention to join the club.

The 35-year-old will sign a two-and-a-half year deal worth $50 million to $60 million per year with an option to extend until 2026, according to the Miami Herald.

Here at The18 we've been discussing strategies for staying awake to provide you with the best coverage of the Women's World Cup. The latest plan is to collectively move to Washington DC, where bars and restaurants will now be open 24 hours a day during the month-long tournament after emergency legislation was passed in the District. 

When it comes to rookies in the National Women's Soccer League, most of the discussion has centered around No. 1 overall pick Alyssa Thompson. The headlines write themselves when you're talking about an 18-year-old who's already scored some spectacular goals for Angel City and is challenging for the USWNT World Cup squad.

But what about No. 2 overall pick Michelle Cooper, the forward who won the 2022 Hermann Trophy as the nation's best college player with 19 goals and 11 assists in 22 games during her sophomore season at Duke?

The UEFA and CONCACAF Nations League finals both took place Sunday, and records fell, legends became immortal and history was written as the world came to a standstill to watch the heroics of goalkeeper Unai Simón and a blonded Gio Reyna.

The Concacaf Nations League trophy has only ever known one home, and it's staying put after the USMNT defeated Canada 2-0 on Sunday in Las Vegas to claim their most coveted prize of the summer. 

Canada came into this one with genuine belief that they could claim their first continental crown since the 2000 Gold Cup, but the pressure is now on manager John Herdman after the Americans — led by the interim mind of B.J. Callaghan — nullified their talented attack and provided all the entertainment going the other way.

Just six games were contested on Matchday 19 as many teams enjoyed a week off before having to do it all again this coming Wednesday. With 29 teams, the league schedule can easily become discombobulated, especially with rescheduled matches and bye weeks. To accommodate this, MLS Matchday 19 gave these teams a chance to catch up and re-level the playing field. While there may have been fewer games, the quality on display was as high as ever.

Pablo Ruiz scored a remarkable goal from just inside his own half of the field and visiting Real Salt Lake continued their strong away form with a 2-1 victory against 10-man D.C. United on Saturday night.

Early in the second half, Danny Musovski added what stood as the match-winning goal for Salt Lake (6-7-5, 23 points), which completed an MLS-best-tying fourth road win of the season.