If not for Brad Guzan's heroics for Atlanta, Lionel Messi and Miami's stars would have run up the score. Instead, the Supporters' Shield winners had to sweat out their MLS Playoff opener just a bit more than anyone could have really expected.
Messi didn't get on the scoresheet, although he will feel like he should have. The Argentine had to settle for a mere assist, as Luis Suarez and Jordi Alba were the goalscoring heroes in the win for the home side.
Miami's Early Dominance
Suarez opened the scoring within two minutes, giving the home crowd a signature playoff moment right as the game got going. It began a sustained period of Miami dominance, as the Herons created chance after chance as wave after wave of attacks were thrown at Atlanta United.
Guzan, the Atlanta United goalkeeper, was undoubtedly the Man of the Match, making nine saves to keep Miami at bay. And it looked like he might just succeed, too, as Saba Lobzhanidze's goal just before halftime sent the two sides into the locker room level.
Alba's Game-Winner
There was no stopping Miami, though, and, in particular, no stopping Alba. The fullback's long-range stunner was the game-winner the Herons needed, sealing a win heading towards Atlanta for Game Two.
Looking Ahead
This wasn't Miami's best performance, but it was Guzan's. The Herons will feel that they'll be just fine going forward. Game One is behind them as Inter Miami's road to MLS Cup began with a well-deserved win.
How to Watch
HOW TO WATCH: Fans can watch on Apple TV+, via a subscription to the MLS Season Pass.
The MLS Playoffs, including tonight's Inter Miami vs. Atlanta United match, will be available through MLS Season Pass, which currently costs $9.99. This is a reduced rate from what it would be at the start of the regular season. Now that the league is out of the regular season, the Playoffs are also available with a standard Apple TV Plus subscription, which also costs $9.99/month. You'd need to get the MLS Season Pass in the regular season, but if you already have Apple TV Plus right now, you should be all set for the remaining matches in 2024. The opening Inter Miami game will be shown for free.
The MLS pass is now just a single $9.99 cost for the rest of the season and the playoffs. Down from the usual $12.99 monthly fee (or your local equivalent), you can access every remaining MLS fixture for 2024 here.
Messi's Impact on MLS
Boosted by the Messi Effect, Major League Soccer hit record attendance marks and saw expanded sponsorship revenue this season.
With the conclusion of the regular season, MLS on Tuesday reported a 5% increase in attendance over last year with a league-wide total of 11.45 million. That’s a 14% increase over 2022.
Two matches exceeded 70,000 fans and five matches exceeded 50,000. In an April match at Arrowhead Stadium, there were 72,610 on hand to watch Lionel Messi and Inter Miami play Sporting Kansas City.
The average was a league-record 23,234 per match. Ten teams set or exceeded attendance records and there were a record 213 sellouts. Even if Messi’s road matches were excluded, the average attendance figures would still be an MLS best.
MLS is expecting that close to 12 million fans will attend this season’s games through the playoffs, which start this week.
There’s no doubt the league’s superstar attraction is Messi, the clear front-runner for the league’s MVP award this season. The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner has 20 goals and 10 assists in just 19 matches this season. Inter Miami won the Supporters Shield for having the best record in the regular season with 74 points, one more than New England when it set the record in 2021.
“He’s definitely helped put us in front of a global audience, and he’s definitely piqued the interest of sports fans in our country,” said Chris McGowan, head of the club performance and optimization group at MLS. “Our clubs have done an unbelievable job of taking advantage of that and understanding that players don’t play forever. We have the best ever playing in our league, so we got to be on our toes to be able to take advantage of it.”
But while Messi is certainly a big part of the league’s growth after his arrival at Inter Miami last year, McGowan cited other factors as well, including the fan experience at the league’s stadiums, spurred by enthusiastic supporters’ groups.
“People are now seeing just an awesome environment when they go to our games across the league,” McGowan said. “The crowds are energetic. There’s a lot of great things happening in the venue. It’s just a fun time on a Saturday night and people are really taking notice of that.”
The league success this season isn’t only at the box office level.
MLS also reported Tuesday that MLS and the league’s marketing arm, Soccer United Marketing, have seen a 13% year-to-date rise in sponsorship revenue, which is the same increase at the individual club level. Eighteen new sponsors have joined MLS this year.
The league is also growing its social media reach, with a 26% jump in followers on TikTok, a 21% increase on YouTube and a 10% increase on Instagram.
Inter Miami's Potential Lineup
The Herons missed out on the postseason last year despite head coach Gerardo 'Tata' Martino and superstar Lionel Messi both arriving in south Florida in the summer of 2023. However, Miami revamped and retooled its squad to lift its second trophy in the Supporters' Shield with Messi and Luis Suárez leading the charge up front.
Messi and his former Barcelona teammates are all set to make their MLS Cup Playoff debuts against an Atlanta team that's gave them trouble this season. Miami stumbled against Atlanta in the regular season with one draw and one defeat and Martino hopes that his side well get one back over his old club to set off on the right foot in the postseason.
Since Miami is playing at home, Martino will likely roll with his usual 4-3-3 setup with all four veteran figures featuring in the starting lineup.
Here's how the Herons could lineup against Atlanta in Game One.
GK: Drake Callender—Callender can't afford to make a costly mistake like he did against the Revolution if Miami is to go all the way and lift MLS Cup. He'll look to put that match behind him and put in a better performance in goal for the Herons.
CB: Marcelo Weigandt—The Argentine full-back starts again on the right side of the backline but could lose his place in the team if he's not careful with Ian Fray stronger on the defensive side of things.
CB: Tomás Avilés—The young defender looks to avoid any rash challenges to keep the pressure off the Miami defense against an Atlanta side that is dangerous on the counter.
CB: David Martínez—The Paraguayan defender is coming off his first minutes in well over a month since his return from injury, starting in defense vs. New England. His availability to start the match allows Busquets to consistently play in the midfield once again,
LB: Jordi Alba—The attacking full-back looks to add to his two assists tallied last time out against an inconsistent Atlanta defense.
CM: Julian Gressel—Gressel takes on one of his former clubs, looking to utilize his quality on the ball to tee up crosses for Suárez in the box.
CM: Sergio Busquets—Busquets starts in the middle of the park once again given that the Herons now have depth again at center-back.
CM: Federico Redondo—Redondo slots straight into the midfield after returning from injury. He'll help Busquets provide the defensive solidity needed since Messi and Suárez don't typically track back in transition.
RW: Lionel Messi—The 37-year-old features from the jump, looking to drift into the center of the pitch to receive the ball and drive past defenders to create chances.
ST: Luis Suárez—Miami's No. 9 aims to carry his excellent recent run of form into the postseason to play his part in Miami advancing to the next phase.
LW: Diego Gómez—The young Paraguay international should be fully fit to start on Friday night as he's a key part of the Miami frontline that does most of the pressing.
