Inter Miami is within reach of its first MLS final in Saturday’s clash against New York City, a game it enters as favorite thanks to Lionel Messi’s unstoppable scoring streak. At 38, the Argentine star has had a hand in all 12 goals that propelled Inter through the playoffs and into Saturday’s Eastern Conference final.
In the four knockout matches, Messi scored six goals and provided two assists, while also playing a decisive role in the other four strikes., After knocking out Nashville SC and FC Cincinnati, Miami will host New York City at its home stadium from 6:00 p.m. local time (23:00 GMT) in the match that decides the Eastern Conference representative in the December 6 championship game.
That same day, in the Western Conference, San Diego FC, the big revelation of the MLS in its debut season, will face the Vancouver Whitecaps, led by German star Thomas Müller. Of the four teams still alive, New York City is the only one with prior experience in the final, having lifted the trophy in 2021.
Seeded fifth in the East, the New York franchise will arrive at Chase Stadium brimming with confidence after eliminating the Philadelphia Union, the best team in the regular season, powered by its dangerous Argentine attacking trio: Agustín Ojeda, Nico Fernández and veteran Maxi Moralez.
The speed and firepower of Messi’s compatriots pose a serious threat to the plans of Javier Mascherano, who since October has managed to rebuild Inter’s defense, historically the team’s weak point in recent seasons. “El Jefecito,” in his first year as a club coach, had kept a low-intervention profile in his early months, but in this decisive stretch of the season he has not hesitated to make bold calls.
The most notable came Sunday, when he sent a heavyweight like Luis Suárez to the bench in favor of Mateo Silvetti, a dynamic 19-year-old Argentine striker who clicked perfectly with Messi in the 4–0 thrashing on the road against FC Cincinnati.
Messi’s hunger
For Inter, the expectations of reaching a first final are as high as the risk of ending yet another year without a single trophy. The most ambitious project MLS has seen in its 30 years, further strengthened by the recent signing of Rodrigo De Paul, has yet to live up to its promise of dominating North American soccer.
This is its last chance to do so with the core of stars that arrived alongside Messi in mid-2023, as Spaniards Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba will hang up their boots at the end of these playoffs. “I’m confident that everything is going to go well and I think this year we have a great chance,” Jordi Alba said Wednesday.
Messi, for his part, has extended his contract through 2028, but every week he shows just how hungry he is to reach the December final, which Inter would also host if it advances.
Müller threatens San Diego
The Western Conference final, kicking off at 00:00 GMT on Sunday, will pit the two standout teams of the season against each other. Level on points at the top of the table, San Diego FC will have home-field advantage over Vancouver as it looks to continue a dream inaugural campaign.
The California side already put together the best regular season ever by an expansion team and now dreams of emulating the Chicago Fire, who won the title in 1998 in their first year in MLS. The biggest question mark for Saturday is the possible return to the starting XI of Mexican winger Hirving “Chucky” Lozano, left out of the lineup since his October incident with coach Mikey Varas.
Danish playmaker Anders Dreyer, who has scored four goals in four playoff games, is San Diego’s main reference point at the moment, just as Thomas Müller is for the Whitecaps. The 36-year-old German World Cup winner has eight goals in 10 games for the Canadian team as he chases a first league title away from Bayern Munich.
