Messi, Inter Miami aim to advance in MLS playoffs with win at Nashville on Saturday
It is Halloween weekend, and no haunted house could be as scary as what Nashville SC will face Saturday night at GEODIS Park: a third game in a row against Lionel Messi and his red-hot Inter Miami team, who beat Nashville twice over the past two weeks by a combined score of 8-3.
Miami beat Nashville 5-2 on the road in the final game of the regular season and 3-1 at home last weekend in Game 1 of the best-of-3 first round MLS playoff series.
Going back further, Inter Miami is 7-0-2 over Nashville since Messi’s arrival in the summer of 2023. The most memorable victory was the 2023 Leagues Cup final, which went to a penalty-kick shootout at GEODIS Park.
If Inter Miami wins again on Saturday, the team will advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals for the first time in club history and Nashville’s season will be over. If Miami loses, Game 3 will be Nov. 8 at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale.
Asked if it is getting boring playing Nashville so often, Miami coach Javier Mascherano smiled and said: “Nothing is boring at this stage of the season. We are competing in the playoffs, and we are focused on improving everything we can to get to Saturday’s game in the best form.”
Inter Miami is on a roll with just one loss in the past nine games and 30 goals over that stretch (3.3 goals per game). But Mascherano insists his team is not overconfident and is prepared for a big challenge on the road against Nashville.
“We know that even though we had two positive results against them the past two weekends, Nashville put us in many difficult moments,” he said. “We were able to resolve them, but surely they will make things difficult for us again on Saturday and we must be ready.”
In fact, Nashville dominated the first half of the regular season finale and led 2-1 before Miami scored four unanswered goals in the second half. Messi scored a hat trick in that game.
“I expect a Nashville team very similar to the one we played the first half up there,” Mascherano said. “In order to overcome that, we will have to be ready from the first minute.”
Among the dangerous Nashville players Miami must contain are 2022 MLS MVP Hany Mukhtar and Sam Surridge, who finished tied for Golden Boot runner-up this season with 24 goals behind Messi, who led the league with 29 goals in 28 games.
“They are a very good duo, among the best Nashville players, along with [Andy] Najar and [Jacob] Shaffelburg,” Mascherano said. “Nashville is a team that if they have a good day, they can give you a lot of trouble, especially if you let them.
“We have worked hard all week and reminded ourselves not to let our victories fool us. There were moments in those two games when we were disconnected and lost concentration and Nashville was unable to take advantage, but another day, they will.”
Retired former Nashville SC defender Dax McCarty, now an analyst with Apple TV, agreed.
“I think this is going to be the most difficult game Miami plays in the last couple of weeks, I think Nashville at Geodis Park will have learned their lesson from the last couple of weeks,” McCarty said on Miami Herald’s Inside Inter Miami podcast.
“The first half of Decision Day, it looked like Nashville SC was going to blow Miami out of the water. Nashville should have been winning by multiple goals. Miami was sleepwalking through that first half. And that is where having a player of Messi’s caliber changes basically everything.”
McCarty added that Nashville got passive in the second half of that game and let Miami dictate the tempo.
“In this next game, I would expect Nashville SC to really go for it, to be on the front foot,” McCarty said. “I would expect them to high press Miami a lot more than they did in Miami because you can’t allow Miami to get into a rhythm.”
McCarty was tasked with defending Messi with Nashville and last season with Atlanta United, which knocked Inter Miami out of the playoffs in the first round.
This is how he described that experience: “You know when there’s a thin wire that goes from tall building to tall building and those crazy people walk across the tightrope, a balancing act, and if they make a mistake at any moment they could fall to their death? That’s kind of like what defending Messi is like because you have to be almost perfect if you want to make sure you don’t allow him to do what he wants to do, which is get on the ball and create chances at will.”
McCarty’s advice to defenders: “If he gets by you, foul him. And, try to take away his left foot because we know how deadly it can be...But you’re never going to be able to totally nullify him.”
How to Watch: Inter Miami vs. Nashville kicks off at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and will be broadcast on Apple TV.
Alba Injury Update
Jordi Alba missed training on Wednesday due to a finger injury, but he was back at full speed with his teammates on Friday.
“We thought it would best that he rest for a day,” Mascherano said. “At this time of year, sometimes less is more. If someone has a minor issue and we understand that it’s not necessary for them to train, it’s better to be cautious. But he’s totally fine now.”
Mascherano on Bright’s new contract
Defensive midfielder Yannick Bright this week signed a new contract through 2028, with an option for 2029. Mascherano had high praise for the 24-year-old, who rose from college draftee to starter.
“That’s great news for our club,” Mascherano said. “Yannick is not only the present of this team, but the future. Especially, as you start to plan for next season, with the departure of Busi [Sergio Busquets], although there may be other players who come, it is important to know Yannick will be there. I’m very happy for him because he earned that new contract on the field.”