Winner of the regular season, Inter Miami started these play-offs with confidence and aimed to win the title with its armada led by Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets.
The MLS introduced a new play-off format with two matches (home and away) and a third match in the event of a tie in scores. And in this case, Inter first won 2-1 before losing 2-1 in Atlanta. And this third game was rich in goals, spectacle, tensions and… controversy.
Thus, Matias Rojas opened the scoring for Inter (17th) before Jamal Thiarepassed through Charleroi, equalized (19th) then put Atlanta in control two minutes later. In the second half, Lionel Messi equalized with a header (65th). What followed was an altercation between the Argentinian and visiting goalkeeper Brad Guzan. The latter was pushed into his own net by Campana then mocked by Luis Suarez, both of whom came to their captain’s rescue.
But with a quarter of an hour to go, while a player from the home team was on the ground injured in his own penalty area, the referee did not stop the game and the visitors did not deem it necessary to get the ball out. After which, the Pole Barlosz Slisz (76th) scored the fatal victorious goal for David Beckham’s club.
Inter Miaml therefore falls and will not see the last square, in which Dante Vanzeir and New York RB, who will face neighbor New York FC.
Unfair format
“The players are very disappointed, as it should be when you are so ambitious and the team cannot achieve its objectives,” reacted Miami coach ‘Tata’ Martino. For Jordi Alba, there is something wrong with the format of the competition: “I find it a bit unfair. It’s been going on for years, but there should be a duel for the title between the champions of the Eastern and Western Conferences.”
