Inter Miami, Atlanta United vie for spot in East semis
Lionel Messi and Inter Miami will try to extend their pursuit of a domestic double when they host Atlanta United in the decisive Game 3 of their Round 1 MLS Cup Eastern Conference Playoff series on Saturday night in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Atlanta rallied to a dramatic 2-1 victory over visiting Miami in Game 2 last Saturday, a match decided by Xande Silva's thunderous strike in second-half stoppage time. Miami won Game 1 by the same score on Oct. 25.
Messi has yet to score in the series after posting an astounding 20 goals and 16 assists over just 19 regular-season appearances.
And if he can't make more of an impact in the decisive game, there's a chance overall top seed Miami could be eliminated three matches short of playing for MLS Cup. The Herons lifted the Supporters' Shield already after earning an MLS-record 74 regular season points.
"The beautiful thing about soccer is that it doesn't matter what happened in the past; you have to win in the present," midfielder Federico Redondo told the Miami Herald this week. "Everything we did in the past is for naught if we don't win this week. I hope Saturday we play like we did the first game and are able to win and advance."
Fellow midfielder Sergio Busquets is likely to return to Miami's starting lineup after missing Game 2 with an illness.
Ninth-seeded Atlanta's run has come after the club parted with manager Gonzalo Pineda in early June and star attackers Thiago Almada and Giorgos Giakoumakis not long after.
While Saba Lobjanidze and Alexey Miranchuk are the players remaining with the highest pedigree, Atlanta has relied on a wide range of contributors on the attack under interim manager Rob Valentino. Five different scorers have tallied Atlanta's five playoff goals.
Now Atlanta has a chance to prolong its season, not to mention the career of longtime midfielder Dax McCarty, who has announced he will retire at season's end.
"This weird dichotomy of elation if you win, and then also a little bit of uncertainty," McCarty said. "I feel like I'm playing with house money a little bit. So I'm just rolling with it and trying to contribute to the team's success and do what I've always done."
Saturday's winner will face either Orlando City or Charlotte FC in the East semifinal.
