FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Lionel Messi and Inter Miami were eliminated in the opening round of the MLS Cup Playoffs in a stunning upset, losing 3-2 at home to ninth-seeded Atlanta United on Saturday at Chase Stadium.
Miami finished the regular season as the top seed, winning the Supporters’ Shield and setting a record for most points in MLS history. By contrast, Atlanta United snuck into the postseason, finishing 20th in the overall standings and earning the final spot in the Eastern Conference.
The 34-point difference between the two teams at the end of the regular season was the largest between two opposing teams in MLS postseason history, according to the league.
Atlanta needed to win a play-in game just to get to the opening round against Miami, but it arrived in South Florida with a nothing-to-lose mentality and shocked Messi and company.
The goal that knocked Miami out came bizarrely. Miami center back Tomás Avilés went down in the box in apparent pain in the middle of an Atlanta United attack. Atlanta kept searching for the goal and Pedro Amador’s cross found Bartosz Slisz at the back post for a header that proved to be the game winner.
It is a nightmare scenario for Inter Miami and MLS, which now sees the biggest star in league history exit its playoffs after just three games. That it happened this way, in a three-game series rather than a one-off elimination round, highlights the unpredictability of the playoffs. MLS has now seen three of its top seeds — Miami, Columbus and FC Cincinnati — knocked out in the opening round of the postseason.
Miami won the opening game of the series, 2-1, but lost in Atlanta on a last-minute goal and couldn’t find a way to get the result in its most important game of the season.
While Miami failed to make the playoffs last year in Messi’s first season in MLS, it was hardly seen as a failure for Messi’s time in the league. Miami was in last place in MLS when the Argentina captain arrived last July and an injury late in the season limited his time on the field down the stretch. Similarly, Messi was injured when Miami lost in the 2023 U.S. Open Cup final.
This, though, will be a massive disappointment for Messi and Miami’s aspirations with the superstar on its team.
Miami was the heavy favorite in the postseason behind the strength of a roster that includes Messi and three of his former Barcelona teammates: Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba and Luis Suárez.
Inter Miami took a 1-0 lead in the 17th minute on Saturday when Messi found Diego Gómez down the left side with a ball lifted over Atlanta’s back line. Gómez squared the ball back across the box to the trailing Messi, and though his shot was turned away by Atlanta United goalkeeper Brad Guzan, Matías Rojas was there to roof the rebound.
Just two minutes later, though, a poor clearance by Marcelo Weigandt kept an Atlanta attack alive and Dax McCarty’s pass was deflected into the path of Jamal Thiaré, who finished decisively to even the score.
Atlanta forward Jamal Thiaré, right, celebrates his first-half goal against Miami. (Sam Navarro / Imagn Images)
Two minutes later, another poor Miami clearance — this time from center back David Martínez — was played back into danger by McCarty, who found Aleksey Miranchuk splitting the center backs. Miranchuk played Thiaré in for another goal, and suddenly the heavy favorites trailed the underdogs.
Miami thought they had pulled back to tie the score in the 24th minute, but Gómez was ruled offside on video review. Inter continued to press for a second goal in the second half, but Guzan saved an acrobatic overhead attempt by Suárez in the second minute of added time to preserve the lead at halftime.
Guzan had yet another standout performance. The former U.S. men’s national team goalkeeper kept Atlanta United close in the first game of the series with several big saves, and he was the star again Saturday. His save on Alba’s header in the 52nd minute, stretching out to bat the ball away from the net and just out of the path of a crashing Suárez was among the most crucial.
Miami forward Luis Suárez battles Atlanta goalkeeper Brad Guzan for the ball. (Sam Navarro / Imagn Images)
Messi pulled his team back into the game in the 65th minute. The Argentine superstar collected the ball at the top of the box and found longtime teammate and friend Suárez before dashing into the box. Suárez fed right back Weigandt who crossed. The generously-listed 5-foot-7 Messi rose and powered home a header to pull his team back into the game.
But with Atlanta mostly defending and countering, they scored in the bizarre sequence as Aviles lay inside Miami’s box. The goal happened and the crowd dropped into near silence, unsure of what to think.
Less than 20 minutes later, Miami’s season was over.
(Top photo: Nathan Ray Seebeck / Imagn Images)
