Lionel Messi and Inter Miami suffered a shock elimination in the first round of the MLS (Major League Soccer) playoffs.
This loss came to the number 9 seed of Atlanta United who rallied together to defeat Miami 3-2. It was a best-of-three series in which Miami took the first game at home, and then Atlanta won their home game. The decisive game was on Miami’s home soil, where they were hoping to get an important victory but failed to do so.
In game three on Saturday, Miami midfielder Matias Rojas opened the scoring only 17 minutes in, but Atlanta fired back rapidly with two goals of their own, both scored by striker Jamal Thiare.
Argentine superstar and World Cup winner Lionel Messi was then able to score from a header in the 65th minute to level the score at 2-2. This was Messi’s first-ever playoff goal in the MLS.
Atlanta United fans’ hearts were racing, desperately hoping for an upset. Atlanta got their wish in the 76th minute when Bartosz Slisz scored a beautiful header to give Atlanta the 3-2 lead.
“We were all watching the game at my house and assumed Atlanta would lose since we were a much lower seed,” said Sophomore Beckett French, who held a watch party for the game. “I was super surprised to see Atlanta doing so well against the best team in the league. Once the goal was scored to give Atlanta the lead, me and my friends were all going crazy! It was such a fun and cool experience.”
Atlanta won the game 3-2 to secure one of the biggest upsets in MLS history. Inter Miami were the number one seed and were favorites to win the MLS Cup, and now they have been knocked out by the number nine seed.
Miami had a record-breaking regular season, winning the Eastern Conference and finishing with 74 points. This allowed them to win the Supporters Shield (a trophy for the team that finishes the regular season with the most points) and an invitation to the FIFA Club World Cup in 2025.
Atlanta United will now play Orlando City in the Conference Semifinals on November 24. They will hope to continue their fairy tale run as they barely even made the playoffs. Atlanta United only managed to sneak into the playoffs from a controversial final day of the regular season where they beat Orlando City 2-1 on enemy territory.
It will be an exciting rematch between the two rivals.
The Eastern Conference is now blown wide open with the elimination of the top three seeds which include Inter Miami, Columbus Crew, and FC Cincinnati. We are in for a real treat in the MLS Playoffs with a high possibility that we will have an unlikely winner.
The next round of the playoffs starts on November 23 and the final is scheduled for December 7.
