On Friday night, Lionel Messi and Inter Miami will kick off the quest for their first MLS Cup title in club history when they host Nashville SC in the first round of the MLS Cup playoffs. While it’s a best-of-three series, winning this first match will go a long way in putting last season behind them.
The Herons underwent wholesale changes after being knocked out of the playoffs in the first round by Atlanta United last campaign, but now they have a chance to rectify that. They have a unique quirk of having faced Nashville SC on the final matchday of the MLS regular season, and that was a time that Messi shined, netting a hat trick to secure his place as the Golden Boot winner. With 29 goals and 19 assists (including secondary assists), anything that Miami did during the regular season came through their talisman, and they’ll need that to continue with the playoffs kicking off.
How to watch Inter Miami vs. Nashville SC, odds
- Date: Friday, Oct. 24 | Time: 8 p.m. ET
- Location: Chase Stadium — Fort Lauderdale, Florida
- Live stream: MLS Season Pass
- Odds: Inter Miami -190; Draw +370; Nashville SC +400
While the Herons announced an extension with Messi through the 2028 season, this will be the last ride for Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets, who will be retiring at the end of the season. There’d be no better way to send off these legends of the game than by winning the first MLS Cup in club history, but pressure will be on Javier Mascherano’s men.
The Club World Cup was a high point for Miami, becoming the first MLS side to defeat a team from a top five European league by getting past Porto, but they haven’t fared well in knockout tournaments. They failed to win the Concacaf Champions Cup or Leagues Cup despite having a collection of talent where the expectation was not one, but multiple trophies.
Meanwhile, B.J. Callaghan’s Nashville SC have already won the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup after defeating Austin FC and can play this round without pressure on them. They’re quite familiar with the Herons having squared off six times since the beginning of 2024. They’ve played in pressure scenarios with the Herons, defeating Nashville in the 2023 Leagues Cup final to win the tournament and getting past Nashville in the knockouts of the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup.
These games have been exciting ones, and Friday will bring more of the same as we get round one of a heavyweight clash between Messi and Sam Surridge.
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