Decisive G3! Suarez suspended, Inter Miami reaches the quarterfinals of the playoffs

This weekend, the first round of the Major League playoffs will usher in the finale. After the first two rounds, only three teams, Los Angeles FC, Vancouver Whitecaps, and Philadelphia Union, advanced to the second round of the playoffs with a 2-0 score. The other five groups all ended in a 1-1 draw in the first two rounds. In a 1/8 final that ended earlier this morning, New York City, ranked fifth in the Eastern Conference, defeated Charlotte FC, ranked fourth, 3-1 in an away game, advancing to the second round of the playoffs with a big score of 2-1. It also became the first MLS team this season to defeat the top team.

The biggest difference between the MLS playoffs and other leagues is that the regular season and playoffs are separated. The game mode is the same as that of the NBA, which increases the attention of the game to a certain extent. The best-of-three games in the first round of the MLS playoffs is also unprecedented. The knockout rounds of other countries' leagues basically adopt a two-round system, and the winner is determined based on the total score. But the MLS only looks at the outcome of a single game, not the total score, so the last game is a decisive battle for both sides. Winning means continuing to move forward, and losing means the end of the playoff journey.

In the remaining four matchups, the contest between Messi's Inter Miami and Nashville is the focus. The two sides have met 4 times this season and are already quite familiar with each other. In these 4 meetings, Inter Miami won the game three times and Nashville won the crucial second playoff game.

In the first round of the series, Inter Miami won the playoffs 3-1 at home with Messi's brace. In this game, Messi even scored a rare "diving header" and the fans at the scene also witnessed the award ceremony where Messi won the MLS Golden Boot before the game.

The second round moved to Nashville's home court. Everyone thought that Inter Miami would end the series on the road. After all, Inter Miami defeated Nashville 5-2 in the last round of the regular season. Nashville, which had never thought of a last-ditch battle, showed tenacious fighting spirit at home. Core player Surich opened the scoring with a penalty kick in the first half. Before halftime, Ball took advantage of a corner kick to score another victory.

Although Messi scored a world-beating goal in the 89th minute, there was not much time left in the game. In the end, Inter Miami lost 1-2 in the away game, and the six-game winning streak against Nashville ended. The series score between the two sides came to 1-1.

In the last game, although Inter Miami has the home field advantage, it is also a test for them. Last season, Inter Miami faced Atlanta United in the first round of the playoffs as the regular season champions. After winning one game first, Inter Miami lost two games in a row and was eventually eliminated, becoming a major upset in the first round of last season's playoffs.

The painful lessons of last season have become an important warning for the team in this season's playoffs. Destiny has once again pushed Inter Miami to the same crossroads. This time, can Inter Miami take advantage of its home court and advance to the second round of the playoffs for the first time in team history.

It is worth mentioning that Suarez will be suspended for one game, which will be a big blow to Inter Miami. In the G2 game of the series, Suarez kicked the defensive player Nahal behind him without the ball in the 71st minute. Although the referee did not call a foul or show a yellow card at the time of the incident, according to MLS rules and regulations, the disciplinary committee can impose fines or bans on players under various circumstances after the game. This includes cases where the referee did not see the incident and an additional penalty was required, and cases where the referee saw the incident but did not issue a yellow card, but the disciplinary committee determined that the behavior clearly warranted a red card.

According to league rules, Suarez was suspended for one game by the league. Although Miami International appealed, the appeal failed, and Miami International also issued a statement as soon as possible, expressing its respect for the decision made by the MLS Disciplinary Committee. This is the second time Suarez has been suspended this season. After the UEFA Cup final, there was chaos between the two sides. Suarez spat at Seattle Sounders safety director Gene Ramirez and was suspended for six games.

With Suarez suspended, Inter Miami may rely more on Messi. Messi has scored 3 goals in this series, including twice in the first round and a world wave in the second round, so the key to this game is still Messi. Messi has played 28 games in the regular season this season, scoring 29 goals and 16 assists. He is the absolute core of the team. Messi signed a three-year contract extension with the team before the playoffs, and the news injected confidence into the team. Messi's career total has reached 892 goals. If Inter Miami can go further in the playoffs, Messi is expected to hit the 900-goal mark this season.

In addition, Argentina officially announced this month’s national team roster yesterday, and Messi was once again selected for the new national team roster. At the end of the regular season, Messi's career assists have reached 399. Messi has scored goals in these two games, but has no assists. The G3 decisive battle is another opportunity for Messi to reach 400 assists in his career.

Strong offense and weak defense are the biggest characteristics of Inter Miami this season. Since May, Inter Miami has failed to score in only two home games. In 13 home games, it has scored a total of 38 goals, averaging 2.9 goals per game. This kind of offensive firepower is the team with the most goals in the league during the same period.

In addition to the two major advantages of offensive firepower and Messi, International Miami also has a potential advantage, and that is home court advantage. In the regular season this season, Inter Miami has played 17 home games. Inter Miami has 11 wins, 3 draws and 3 losses. In the last 10 home games, it has won 8 games, with a winning rate of 80%.

In sharp contrast, Nashville has struggled on the road this season. Its away record in the regular season is only 5 wins, 3 draws and 9 losses. It is one of the worst away defensive teams in the Eastern Conference. Nashville's offensive core Sulic and Mukhtar will be the key to the team's upset. Suric scored 24 goals in the regular season, while Mukhtar had 16 goals and 11 assists. In the second game of the playoffs, it was Suric who broke the deadlock in the first 9 minutes and laid the foundation for victory in the following games..

For Inter Miami, the significance of this decisive battle goes far beyond an ordinary playoff game. This will be another good opportunity for Messi to reach 400 assists in his career. It will also be an opportunity for Inter Miami to break the curse of being eliminated in the first round last season. It will also be the best opportunity for the team to reach the second round of the playoffs for the first time in team history. And for Nashville, this will be the perfect opportunity to break the "away bug" label.