Messi helped Inter Miami win the Supporters’ Shield (the team with the best record in the MLS – American professional soccer tournament). They are also facing a historic record, that is, if they win against New England Revolution (October 20) in the final round, they will set a new record of 74 points, 1 point more than the old record set by this team in 2021.
Inter Miami have now secured a spot in the MLS Cup playoffs. The MLS season is split into two phases, a points round (34 games total) to determine the Supporters’ Shield winner. The top nine teams from each of the Eastern and Western Conferences then advance to the MLS Cup playoffs, the most prestigious trophy in the regular season of American soccer.
With the Supporters’ Shield title, Inter Miami will go straight into Round 1 and play at home. They will almost certainly face one of two opponents: DC United or CF Montreal, who are currently ranked 8th and 9th in the Eastern Conference and will play a “wild card” match in the playoffs to compete for a ticket to Round 1.
These are relatively easy opponents for Inter Miami, with CF Montreal losing 2-3 in their two matches this season and winning the other by the same score of 3-2. As for DC United, Inter Miami won both matches with the scores of 3-1 and 1-0.
In the MLS Cup play-off round, in addition to the advantage of playing round 1 at home, Inter Miami is very excited and in high spirits, thanks to the return of famous player Messi who is gradually regaining his best form.
Messi, after 6 matches back for Inter Miami since mid-September, has scored 5 goals and had 1 assist. In these matches, the 37-year-old player played the full 90 minutes in 4 matches and came off the bench in 2 matches (both from the 61st minute).
He also returned to play in his first match with the Argentina national team since the Copa America (a 1-1 draw with Venezuela on October 11). In this match, Messi contributed to the situation where defender Otamendi scored the opening goal for the home team in the 13th minute, but he was almost unable to show anything due to the poor conditions of the pitch due to the waterlogged condition.
Messi is likely to continue playing in the starting line-up when Argentina face Bolivia. Scaloni plans to pair him with Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez, in an attempt to create a new attacking trio since the departure of veteran striker Di Maria.
After the Argentina games, Messi could be rested when he returns to Inter Miami, which will face the New England Revolution in just a few days. He is being rested in preparation for the first round of the MLS Cup playoffs, which begin on October 26. If they make it through the first round, the next MLS Cup matches will be a knockout match. In the Eastern Conference, the two opponents who can stop Inter Miami from reaching the title are FC Cincinnati or Columbus Crew.
The MLS Cup is divided into two divisions, the Eastern and Western Conferences. The winners of the playoffs will meet in the MLS Cup Final on December 7.
