Lionel Messi, Inter Miami flop out of MLS playoffs, stunned by Atlanta

Lionel Messi’s first MLS playoff game began with momentum and huge expectations. They ended Saturday with a fantastic riot and the bleating of a goat.

Messi and history-making top seed Inter Miami crashed out in the first round with a second straight defeat to Atlanta United – who barely snuck into the playoffs with a losing record and negative goal difference.

Messi, who had been silent in a Game 2 loss, got his first playoff goal to tie this decisive Game 3 at 2-2. But Atlanta responded; Bartosz Slisz grabbed the lead back with a header in the 76th minute; and the visitors sent shockwaves through American football with a 3-2 upset.

Miami entered these playoffs as the clear favorite in MLS history. They waltzed to a win in Game 1 of a three-game series and looked set to advance. All they had to do was win one of two against an Atlanta team that had won less than a third of its regular-season games — just 10 of 34.

But then, in Game 2, the Herons blew a lead in Atlanta.

Their 2-1 loss set up a do-or-die Game 3, Messi’s first in MLS.

Or, at least, that’s how English speakers described it. In Spanish there is a similar but different phrase. “Es un partido de matar o morir,” Inter Miami midfielder Federico Redondo said this week. Not “do-or-die,” but rather “kill-or-be-killed.”

And in a dizzying Saturday twist, it was Atlanta who did the killing.

The No. 9 seed, who won a play-in game on penalty kicks, weathered an early Miami storm at Chase Stadium. Then, immediately after an early Matías Rojas goal, Atlanta’s Jamal Thiaré punished some slack Inter defending. He scored twice in three minutes and the underdogs took a 2-1 lead into the break.

In the second half, Messi rose to meet the moment – temporarily.

But Atlanta responded.

And at the other end of the field, goalkeeper Brad Guzan, at the age of 40, made some heroic saves. He punched away a close-range header from Jordi Alba. He frustrated Luis Suarez and Messi. He made seven total stops. He was undoubtedly the man of the match and the series.

Messi and co were constant threats, but not the relentless force they had been at times in the GOAT’s first full MLS season. Suarez dove in search of a penalty but got no call. Messi smashed two free kicks into Atlanta’s walls. His shoulders seemed to slump in frustration.

At the final whistle, he trudged down a tunnel with a blank look.

Guzan and defenders bumped their chests in celebration.

And Miami’s title hopes died.

Their loss opens up an already gaping Eastern Conference, which said goodbye to No. 2 seed Columbus Crew last weekend and No. 3 seed FC Cincinnati earlier Saturday.

It’s also a massive loss for MLS, whose playoffs are losing considerable luster and whose managers have so far failed to capitalize on Messi’s presence.

That doesn’t invalidate Miami’s 74 points, the best regular season in league history. “We celebrated the achievement because it was something difficult and important,” Messi said a recent interview.

“But,” he admitted, “we are aware that the real title we want is the MLS (Cup).”

Now he may only have one more year to chase it.

What went wrong for Messi and Inter Miami?

In many ways, Messi and Miami were victims of soccer’s randomness. They created more chances and better chances in all three games. By one estimateaccumulated 7.9 expected goals (xG) to Atlanta’s 3.84 throughout the series. And if you double an opponent’s xG — especially if you employ two of the greatest goalscorers of all time – more often than not, you will win. In fact, with Messi on the court, Miami didn’t lose a single game like this all regular season.

They lost on Saturday mainly because they ran into a bald brick wall – Guzan.

This was not about managerial malpractice. It wasn’t an epic Messi choke. It was mostly a fluke.

At the same time, however, the Herons were haunted by a shortage that plagued them all season. They never found a solid centre-back pair. And they never had the legs or front-six structure to protect their leaky defence. Then again and again they sent goals.

On Saturday, they were particularly vulnerable without Sergio Busquets, who had not fully recovered from either an illness or a minor injury. (After missing Game 2, he ultimately played 12-plus minutes in Game 3 off the bench.)

But they also made individual mistakes. Take, for example, the second goal, which began at the feet of Miami defenseman David Martinez. He played a late, loose forward pass which was cut out around midfield. Then he didn’t recover, and Atlanta took advantage of the very space he should have covered.

This type of lapse was a feature of Miami’s season. Openness was a function of building an attacking super team around Messi. Although they won a record number of points, they were actually the fourth worst defensive team in the Eastern Conference, per FBref xG comparisons.

In the regular season, goaltender Drake Callender bailed them out often.

Or even more often their porosity didn’t matter because they had Suarez and Messi.

On Saturday, none of these statements came true. And the most expensive, most popular team in MLS history is done.