Tadeo Allende, the man helping Lionel Messi lead Inter Miami's attack into the MLS Cup Final

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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — It wasn’t Lionel Messi who got Inter Miami on the scoresheet for the club’s first conference final.

It was Tadeo Allende, the 26-year-old Argentine only at Inter Miami for one year, on a loan from Spanish club Celta de Vigo, who scored a hat trick in the 5-1 win over New York City FC to send Inter Miami to its first MLS Cup Final.

In 31 games during the regular season, Allende scored 11 goals. In the playoffs, he has scored eight. He scored both of Inter Miami’s goals in the opening part of the first half Saturday, then got the final goal for the emphatic victory.

Allende’s impact started in the first-round elimination game against Nashville, when he scored twice to get Inter Miami into the Eastern Conference semifinal. He had two more goals in the semifinal win over Cincinnati.

Messi, seems to be on track for another MVP season in what would be historic consecutive campaigns, is the only player with more goal contributions for Inter Miami during this run. Messi has provided Allende with three assists during these playoffs, while Jordi Alba has provided two to him.

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AP MLS: https://apnews.com/hub/major-league-soccer