Lionel Messi’s next playoff game could be his last match of the season.
Messi and Inter Miami are on the brink of elimination after falling 2-1 to Atlanta United on Saturday night thanks to Xande Silva’s game-winning goal in the final minute.
Inter Miami may have met its match in the MLS Cup Playoffs. They’ve lost five games all season to MLS teams. Atlanta now has two of them.
Game 3 will be played at Inter Miami’s Chase Stadium this Saturday at 8 p.m. ET, with their first-round series tied 1-1.
Is there any reason to panic for Messi and the MLS Cup title favorites?
Let’s be clear: A first-round exit would be a massive letdown for the Messi experience in Major League Soccer and the United States in 2024.
Inter Miami is the best No. 1 seed in the league’s history. The MLS Supporters’ Shield winners set the regular-season points record (74) in Messi’s first full campaign with the club.
Not winning the Dec. 7 MLS Cup final would be a disappointment – especially for Messi, scoreless after the first two MLS playoff games of his career.
‘We have the advantage that there is a lot of hierarchy in the team with players who have been through much more difficult situations than this one,’ Inter Miami coach Tata Martino said after the Game 2 loss.
Messi’s memorable career was built on adverse defeats before the crowning moments of his legacy.
Messi’s World Cup run in Qatar began with a dumbfounding loss to Saudi Arabia. And let’s not forget the unforgettable final against Kylian Mbappé and France, which ended in penalty kicks and cemented Messi’s status as an all-time great.
Messi’s most recent bout of adversity occurred in the Copa América final earlier this summer where he awkwardly contorted his body and suffered a right ankle ligament injury causing him to miss two months of the MLS season.
Messi felt the pressures of a scoreless first half for Argentina against Columbia in the final. He was left sobbing on the bench, ankle swollen like a softball, after he finally exited in the second half trying to play through injury. Then, he was elated and relieved when Lautaro Martinez scored the game winner for Argentina’s second straight Copa America title.
Before Messi’s recent international success, Argentina was ousted in four previous World Cups, and he even retired from the national team after two straight Copa América final losses to Chile. He was criticized for winning so little with Argentina while he won 10 La Liga titles and four Champions League crowns with Barcelona.
Messi and Inter Miami facing elimination in the MLS Cup Playoffs doesn’t quite stack up with the others. But it’s the predicament he and Inter Miami face heading into Game 3 next Saturday.
Messi must play better in the playoffs. Sure, he’s delivered some masterful passes, like the goal Jordi Alba scored in Game 1’s 2-1 win on Oct. 25. He has just one assist, and missed all 13 of his shots in 180 minutes.
Messi has hit the right post in both games. He’s been wide right, wide left and soared shots over the net. And at least four shots were blocked by Atlanta’s dynamic goalie Brad Guzan using various body parts to no end.
These misses have come after Messi arguably appeared the strongest since his Copa América injury when he entered the postseason after two hat tricks in two games with Argentina and Inter Miami last month.
Atlanta is a fearless bunch. They snuck into the playoffs on the final day of the regular season, and won a wild card game to face Inter Miami. They have a chance to beat them for a third time this season.
Messi has led Inter Miami to two titles, and he wants to win another championship. But a pesky No. 9 seed stands in the way.
So, reason to panic? There should be.
Atlanta has nothing to lose, while Messi’s experience in MLS and the United States hinges on his success. Anything can happen with Messi on the pitch and Inter Miami’s historic season on the line later this week.
