Inter Miami have landed in the eye of a FIFA tempest due to their contentious slot in next summer’s Club World Cup – compounded by doubts over Lionel Messi‘s future following a stunner playoff exit to Atlanta United.
Amid the fallout of claiming the Supporters’ Shield for the best regular-season record in Major League Soccer, FIFA dropped the bombshell that Inter Miami is set for the Club World Cup. Yet, clamour arises since the MLS champ is traditionally crowned post-playoffs in Decembers MLS Cup, raising eyebrows across the American soccer faithful.
The uproar from other MLS club supporters has been deafening, with accusations of favouritism flying about, as no clear entry criteria into the global competition were previously outlined.
Owned by England legend David Beckham and boasting the talents of record-crowned Ballon d’Or winner Messi, Inter Miami gear up to kickstart the 2025 Club World Cup at home minus the MLS Cup victor title. Post play-off defeat, coach Tata Martino touched on Messi’s stateside stint.
“I actually don’t know how limited [Messi’s time in this league] is,” he divulged to Goal. “There is a question of time passing, but I would not dare to say that it is so short,” reports the Mirror.
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“If you look at the context in which this began, it seems to me that the progress of the club is important. The comparison of the last game of last season, back in October, with today’s third game in the playoffs and this bitterness that we all have for not having progressed, is clear that the club’s objectives have been modified and I think there is no reason for the club not to continue trying next year.
“What happened this year, the bad and the good in general have been better than everything that happened last year and I would say even from the entire life of the club.”
The MLS playoffs begin with a best-of-three series, followed by one-off knockout games in the later rounds. As Supporters’ Shield winners, Inter Miami had the benefit of playing two of their matches at home, but weren’t able to take advantage.
They won their first home encounter, with Messi’s former Barcelona team-mate Jordi Alba netting the decisive goal in a 2-1 victory. The first game in Atlanta went the other way, though, thanks to a stoppage-time winner from former West Ham forward Xande Silva.
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That meant it was winner-take all in Florida on Saturday, and the game was level 25 minutes from time as Matias Rojas and then Messi cancelled out a brace from Jamal Thiare. However, Inter were hit by a sucker-punch from Poland international Bartosz Slisz and couldn’t find a third equaliser.
Messi, alongside Luis Suarez, was one of the two Inter Miami players to net 20 goals in the regular season. Reports from September hinted that the Argentine star has plans to return to his childhood club, Newell’s Old Boys, after the end of the 2025 MLS season, giving him just one more shot at the MLS Cup.
In the current season’s playoffs, Atlanta will have to outmanoeuvre Orlando City in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Orlando had a nail-biting decider against Charlotte, with Facundo Torres levelling the score in the 12th minute of stoppage-time and then scoring in a penalty shoot-out victory.
The other match in the east is a New York derby between NYCFC and Red Bulls. The Western Conference semifinals will see Los Angeles FC clash with Seattle Sounders and LA Galaxy hosting Minnesota United.
LAFC were the only team taken to a third-match decider, with Mateusz Bogusz netting their winner against Vancouver Whitecaps.