Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami was eliminated to everyone’s surprise in the first round of the MLS playoffs after their home defeat against Atlanta United (3-2) on the night of Saturday to Sunday. The 37-year-old Argentinian’s club was nevertheless the favorite, with the best record in the North American championship at the end of the regular season with a points record.
For its part, Atlanta only finished ninth in the Eastern Conference, the last play-off place for the playoffs. Inter took the lead in the 17th minute thanks to Matias Rojas, who converted a Messi strike that was saved by the opposing goalkeeper. But Atlanta striker Jamal Thiaré turned the tide in three minutes, scoring two goals in the 19th then in the 21st for the Georgia franchise.
Messi scorer
The Floridians thought they would come back to the level immediately, however, Diego Gomez was flagged offside. We had to wait until the 65th minute and a helmet hit from Messi to see the two teams tied again. Before Atlanta regained the advantage in the 76th, this time definitively, thanks to a header from midfielder Bartosz Slisz, while Miami projected forward to break away.
In the absence of injured Spanish midfielder Sergio Busquets, Messi and his attacking partner Luis Suarez were not at their best. The final whistle brought a chill to the stadium, where many had hoped to see Inter advance to their first MLS Cup.
Lionel Messi and his team may have some regrets, having shot almost three times more than their opponents and making more than twice as many attempts on target, in addition to having largely dominated possession.
“We have undoubtedly failed”
For their coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino, it will be necessary to put things straight after this disappointment, he declared, not without recalling the progress made since last season, when his team was at the bottom of the ranking.
“There has been good and bad this season. If you think back to where we were in November last year, there has obviously been progress for the club, not just the team. If you think about the expectations we had for these playoffs, we undoubtedly failed,” he summarized.
“The players are sad, as they must be when there are so many ambitions and the team cannot achieve them. In this last part of the year, we got used to achieving our objectives but we failed to achieve the most important one,” he lamented.
An “unfair” format for Jordi Alba
The side Jordi Alba, for his part, pointed to the playoffs, a multi-round post-season tournament directly concerning the first seven of each conference, while the eighth and ninth compete for their place in the play-offs.
“I think this format is a bit unfair. It’s been done like that for years but I think it should be the champion of one conference against that of the other,” he said.
For its part, Atlanta will advance to the Eastern Conference semi-finals against Orlando, while the other half will see a New York derby between the Reds Bulls and New York City FC.