Lionel Messi and Inter Miami receive MLS playoff boost as DC United, Charlotte FC and Montreal ALL lose to leave door open for late turnaround
- If Miami wins their games in hand, they will now advance to an MLS playoff spot
- But Tata Martino’s men first have the US Open Cup final to concentrate on next week
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Inter Miami’s hopes of pushing into the MLS play-off spots this season turned from dim to positive on Saturday after three of their main rivals suffered defeats.
DC United, Montreal and Charlotte FC all came unstuck in their final league games, meaning Miami now has an impossibly late sprint to the play-offs in sight.
The New York Red Bulls first pleased them with a pulsating 5-3 win over DC, a match that saw Wayne Rooney’s team throw away two leads at their Audi Field home.
Montreal, meanwhile, was trounced 4-1 by Atlanta United, while Charlotte was defeated 3-0 in Cincinnati.
And those losses give Miami a realistic chance to get back into the playoffs.
Lionel Messi and Inter Miami’s hopes of reaching the MLS playoffs got a boost on Saturday
Three of Miami’s main rivals, including Montreal (left), suffered defeats on Saturday night
DC United, which is in second place in the play-offs, came loose against the New York Red Bulls
Charlotte FC, another of Miami’s closest competitors, was comprehensively defeated by Cincinnati
As things stand, Lionel Messi and Co are currently second from bottom in the Eastern Conference with 31 points, having played 28 matches.
Montreal occupies the first play-off spot with 37 points, but has still played two more games than Miami.
Second place in the playoffs is occupied by DC, who only has 36 points despite having played THREE more games than Miami.
The Red Bulls are just behind them with 34 points after Saturday’s victory, but Troy Lesesne’s team has also already played 30 games.
That’s the same for both Chicago Fire and New York City in 11th and 12th, while Charlotte has just two points more than Miami after playing 29 games.
Should Tata Martino’s men pull off a shock victory in Orlando City on Sunday, they would move up to 10th place as they have already recorded more wins than the Red Bulls, Chicago and New York, two points behind DC with as many games played. -in hand.
It means the door is open for Inter to make a late move for this season’s MLS play-offs
Nevertheless, Miami’s hopes for that seem slim now that star player Messi and Jordi Alba have both been ruled out of the match.
The two players both came off injured during Wednesday’s 4-0 win over Toronto and will be rested for next week’s US Open Cup final.
Even if they get out of trouble in Orlando, Inter will still expect a late turnaround in the play-off race after Saturday’s three-fold boost.