Inter Miami secured their place in the MLS playoffs for the third consecutive season with a 2-0 victory over New York City FC on Wednesday night, inspired by Lionel Messi at Chase Stadium.
German Berterame and Rodrigo De Paul scored a goal apiece in the first half for Inter Miami, while goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair made four saves, including a late penalty stop, to preserve the clean sheet for the reigning MLS Cup champions.
How Inter Miami sealed the playoff spot
Inter Miami opened the scoring in the 20th minute through a beautifully constructed team move. Messi trapped the ball just outside the penalty area and fed De Paul, who found Luis Suarez on the byline with a diagonal ball. Suarez rolled it across the face of goal for Berterame to finish into the open net, his first league goal since May and his eighth of the season.
De Paul doubled the lead with the final kick of the first half. Berterame led a quick counter-attack and found Messi, who drew in three defenders before laying the ball off with the outside of his left foot. De Paul slammed it high past United States goalkeeper Matt Freese into the top corner.
New York City had a chance for a late consolation when they were awarded a penalty deep in stoppage time, but St. Clair produced a spectacular diving save to deny Nicolas Fernandez-Mercau, completing back-to-back clean sheets for the first time since March.
Inter Miami could have added to their lead in a goalless second half. Messi sent a curling effort from just outside the box over the bar, and as the clock hit 90 he played a short corner to De Paul, whose fierce strike from outside the box was superbly tipped onto the post by Freese.
“I’m leaving happy,” Gonzalez said afterwards. “Obviously, there’s a lot to improve, but we’re making progress little by little.” It was an honest assessment from a coach still early in his tenure, but consecutive wins have steadied a side that had wobbled through the summer months.
Defensively, Inter Miami are finding form at exactly the right time. Wednesday’s shutout completed consecutive clean sheets for the first time across all competitions since March. With five games remaining, the champions are guaranteed at least a wild-card round place and will now target a higher seeding.
Inter Miami’s playoff picture
The victory took Inter Miami to 52 points from a 14-5-10 record, keeping them second in the Eastern Conference with five games remaining and guaranteeing at least a place in the wild-card round. It was also a landmark night for head coach Cristian “Kily” Gonzalez, who secured his first back-to-back wins since taking over on September 16.
For New York City, the defeat was another setback in a miserable run of just one win in their last 11 MLS matches. Despite matching Miami with 14 shots, they missed the chance to close the three-point gap on the New York Red Bulls and FC Cincinnati in the race for the conference’s play-in berths.
Defensively, Inter Miami are finding form at exactly the right time. Wednesday’s shutout completed consecutive clean sheets for the first time across all competitions since March. With five games remaining, the champions are guaranteed at least a wild-card round place and will now target a higher seeding.
Messi’s remarkable year
Messi was again the game’s defining presence, playing a hand in both goals just days after scoring twice against DC United on his return from international duty. It has been a remarkable year for the 38-year-old, who led Argentina to a second consecutive World Cup final before announcing his retirement from international football a month later.
Miami missed the postseason when Messi arrived in 2023, but have now reached the playoffs in three straight seasons, beating Vancouver last year to win the club’s first MLS Cup. With their captain in this form and a second trophy in sight, few will bet against Inter Miami making another deep run.
Wednesday’s victory followed Saturday’s 4-0 rout of DC United, in which Messi and Suarez both scored twice. The Argentine has carried Miami through a demanding stretch, and with the playoffs approaching, his understanding with De Paul and Suarez is beginning to resemble the devastating attacking unit the club envisaged when they were assembled.
Inter Miami travel to Atlanta United on Saturday, while New York City host LAFC the same day.