It took Lionel Messi just seven games to win his first trophy as an Inter Miami player. Last year’s Leagues Cup triumph hinted at the Herons’ potential to win silverware – as did the subsequent run to the US Open Cup final – but Messi and co. have had to wait a full year for a shot at the MLS play-offs.
Inter Miami have been building to this moment.
With just four games remaining of the regular season, Miami sit well clear at the top of the Eastern Conference. The South Floridians clinched their place in the play-offs weeks ago and are on the brink of securing the Supporters’ Shield – the trophy handed to the team with the most regular season points across both Eastern and Western Conferences. A record points tally is within reach.
Many doubted Inter Miami, even with their abundance of talent, could dominate the regular season in the way they have. Experts pointed to a summer period that would see Tata Martino lose Messi and Luis Suárez to the Copa America as an obstacle, but Inter Miami’s impressive squad depth helped them clear that hurdle.
Players like Leo Campana and Julian Gressell stepped up to keep Inter Miami moving forward when many predicted they would falter. By the time Messi and Suárez returned to the fold, the club had all but shaken off all rivals for the Eastern Conference and Supporters Shield titles. Now, focus is turning towards the play-offs.
Last season, Inter Miami simply left themselves too much to do to make the post-season. Pre-Messi, the Herons won just five of their first 18 matches and while an uptick in form gave them a chance of finishing above the play-off line, an injury suffered by the legendary Argentine down the stretch ultimately ended their charge.
This season, they are in much better shape. There’s no need for a sprint to the finish merely to make the play-offs. Instead, Martino will have the freedom to prepare for the first round of the play-offs, bypassing the Wildcard round as number one seeds in the East. A MLS Cup final at Chase Stadium could be on the cards.
There are other teams who will also fancy their chances in the play-offs. Chief among them is the Columbus Crew who have emerged as MLS’s best coached side over the last two seasons. Wilfried Nancy has Columbus playing a brand of modern, dynamic football that carried them to MLS Cup glory last season. Runs in the CONCACAF Champions Cup and Leagues Cup have followed since then and the Crew have the quality to retain their championship.
While both flawed, Los Angeles FC and the LA Galaxy could also be contenders for MLS Cup. The two LA rivals have their defensive deficiencies, but they are outweighed by the attacking potency that was highlighted in the latest El Tráfico that produced six goals. Inter Miami might have Messi and Suárez as difference-makers, but LAFC have Olivier Giroud and Denis Bouanga while the Galaxy boast Marco Reus and Gabriel Pec.
Inter Miami will need their star players to produce if they are to win MLS Cup for the first time this season. While their regular season results are there for all to see, Martino has struggled to impose an identity on the South Floridians. In truth, Inter Miami aren’t playing very well right now and haven’t for much of the campaign.
Many opposition teams have been able to stretch Inter Miami by getting in behind their vulnerable defensive line. Martino’s high line allows his side to get his best players into advanced positions close to goal, but it also gives opponents a lot of space to exploit on the counter attack. Inter Miami lack the physicality and speed at the back to have a defensive safety net.
Martino has shifted between various different formations over the course of the season. He has used a back three with wing backs several times. Inter Miami have also shaped up in a 4-3-3 and have more recently used a 4-4-2 with Messi given a free role alongside Suarez as the attacking focal point.
In many cases, Martino has had no choice but to shift formation from game-to-game such has been the availability – and unavailability – of several players over the campaign, but it also points to the fact the former Barcelona and Mexico coach still doesn’t seem certain of his best XI. That could be a problem with the play-offs just around the corner.
Perhaps most concerning for Inter Miami is that Messi isn’t at full tilt. The 37-year-old marked his return to club action following the Copa America with a brace and an assist in a commanding 3-1 win over the Philadelphia Union earlier this month, but only played 29 minutes in a disappointing draw against Atlanta United and was shackled by New York City FC on Saturday.
No Inter Miami player was dispossessed by NYCFC more often than Messi who had his lowest number of touches (46) of any starting performance in MLS this season. His uncharacteristic sloppy touches prevented the visitors to Yankee Stadium from building any sort of control as NYCFC largely kept Inter Miami at arm’s length.
Nonetheless, there will be a fear factor for any team that comes up against Messi, Suarez and the rest in the play-offs. Maybe Messi underwhelmed against NYCFC because that match, in the grand scheme of things, didn’t matter. The play-offs, however, certainly matter and that’s where the last two seasons could culminate in something special for Inter Miami.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
You can follow every MLS game on FotMob – with in-depth stat coverage including xG, shot maps, and player ratings. Download the free app here.