Messi scores his second goal in Inter Miami's match against Atlanta United. (Credit: GIORGIO VIERA/AFP via Getty Images)

(CNN Spanish) -- Lionel Messi began his journey at Inter Miami giving joy to the team. In his second game with the team, which faced Atlanta United on Tuesday at DRV PNK Stadium, the Argentine 10 scored two goals in 22 minutes.

The feat comes after his debut on Saturday, which was punctuated by a free-kick goal for the agonizing victory over Cruz Azul.

The score increased 3-0 in Inter's favour when Robert Taylor scored a goal shortly before the end of the first half, allowing the team to settle into half-time with a sizeable lead against Atlanta United.

Shortly before the match began, Inter had confirmed that Messi would start in the match, as well as captain. Sergio Busquets is also in the main squad.

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The "Tata" Martino had already anticipated in a press conference that Messi would play more minutes than in the last match against Cruz Azul and that he would be the captain of the team.

With both a win and a draw, the Florida team will go directly to the 16th final.

Messi scored two goals in the first half of the match between Inter Miami and Atlanta United (Credit: Hector Vivas/Getty Images)

For its part, Atlanta United, led by Gonzalo Pineda, plays its first match in this competition on Tuesday, and has among the starters Thiago Almada, another world champion with the Argentine National Team in Qatar 2022.

What is the Leagues Cup?

The match is played within the framework of the Leagues Cup, a tournament that pits teams from the Mexican and United States leagues, and consists of 15 groups of three teams each. The first two of each zone access the 16th final, where they are joined by Pachuca and LAFC, already qualified for being champions of Liga MX and MLS, respectively.

A win will give Inter the pass to the next instance, where they must continue to advance in rounds head-to-head until they get their place in the final, which will be played on August 19.

This tournament is important, not only because it allows for an international title, but also gives its three best teams a place in the Concacaf Champions League (CCL), the most important continental tournament in the region.

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