After the Leagues Cup triumph and run to the US Open Cup final, Inter Miami’s failure to secure a Major League Soccer playoff place was anticlimactic. Even with Lionel Messi as part of their team, the South Florida club simply gave itself too much ground to make up. Their recent home defeat to FC Cincinnati confirmed they would miss out on the post-season.
Some at MLS headquarters are surely disappointed about this. Messi’s arrival at Inter Miami drew new fans to the league which became the focus of the mainstream glare. The Argentine’s injury disrupted the momentum that had been built up and now MLS faces a drop-off in interest for the playoffs, the part of the season interest should be highest.
However, Messi and Inter Miami missing out on the playoffs is a good thing for MLS. It might not feel like it right now, certainly for those fans who were looking forward to watching the 2022 World Cup winner play more matches, but the league will benefit from its biggest star suffering some early disappointment.Â
It wouldn’t have been a good look for MLS had Inter Miami gone from being the worst team in the league to MLS Cup winners in the space of just a few months because of Messi’s signing. The strength of the league has already been put under the microscope by Messi’s arrival, but Inter Miami missing out on the playoffs spares MLS more difficult questions.
Inter Miami’s improvement since the summer wasn’t solely down to Messi. Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets settled quickly with the latter particularly important to the structure of the team. Inter Miami also landed a number of promising youngsters who added intensity and energy to the style of play.
Tata Martino was hired as the club’s new head coach after the dismissal of Phil Neville. The 60-year-old is an experienced MLS manager and has remoulded Inter Miami in his own image with the South Florida side now much better at building attacks through their use of the ball. Martino’s fingerprints are now all over Inter Miami.
Of course, Messi’s signing was still the biggest factor in Inter Miami’s improvement after a dismal first half of the 2023 season, but most of that uptick came in Leagues Cup and the US Open Cup. Messi has actually only scored one goal in MLS and has started just three matches due to the injury he suffered.
What’s more, MLS can now stretch the narrative around Messi into 2024. Had Inter Miami made the playoffs and won MLS Cup this year, that would have given the league a challenge in framing and selling the following campaign. This way, MLS can keep interest high as Messi chases the biggest prize in American soccer.Â
Some might argue, with some justification, that Messi doesn’t need to win as an Inter Miami to prove himself. After all, the 36-year-old is a World Cup and multiple Champions League winner. But just as David Beckham winning MLS Cup in 2011 symbolised a ‘mission accomplished’ moment for him in the USA, Messi lifting the same trophy would represent something similar.
Inter Miami now have an opportunity to improve again over the off-season. The club will have more freedom in the player market with roster restrictions set to be lifted. Martino will surely push for more signings, particularly with Inter Miami participating in the CONCACAF Champions League in 2024.
Luis Suarez has been linked with a move to DRV PNK Stadium where he would be reunited with his former Barcelona teammates Alba, Busquets and Messi. Eden Hazard was also reportedly on Inter Miami’s radar before the Belgian winger made the decision to retire from professional soccer. The front office will have other targets.
Messi in MLS has already provided a compelling storyline for the league. Interest in MLS across the world has never been higher than it is now and 2024 will present further opportunity for Messi to be used as a tool to grow the division. That opportunity might have been hindered had Inter Miami gone the distance in the playoffs.
