Bid to Defend the Title / Important Win for Inter Miami: Messi in the MLS Playoffs!

Inter Miami beat New York City by two goals.

According to "Verzeh Se", Inter Miami confirmed its promotion to the playoffs with a decisive 0-2 victory against New York City on Wednesday night. Bertrame scored his team's first goal of the game, ending his scoring streak that had been going on since late May. With a simple shot, he turned Luis Suarez's accurate pass into a goal to beat the opposing goalkeeper, Matthew Ferris.

Rodrigo DePaul doubled Intermiami's lead before the end of the first half with a spectacular goal. After exchanging passes with Lionel Messi near the penalty area, the Argentinian midfielder sent an unstoppable shot into the top corner of the goal. New York City had a chance to reduce the difference from the penalty spot in the final minutes, but Dean St. Clair blocked the opponent's goal with a brilliant reaction and kept his goal shut.

Wednesday's win was the second league win for Inter Miami's new head coach Kiley Gonzalez, who has been in charge since mid-September. This Argentinian coach expressed satisfaction that his team's presence in the playoffs was confirmed, but emphasized the importance of further progress. "Well, getting to the playoffs was one of the club's primary goals for this season and we've reached it, but we still have to continue to improve as a team," Gonzalez told reporters after the final whistle. "When you have players who are willing to go along with the vision you want to implement in the team, everything becomes easier."

This result brought Intermiami to second place in the Eastern Conference table with 52 points from 29 matches. The team is still chasing overall leader Nashville while also trying to defend its American Football League title, which it won in 2025 with a win over the Vancouver Whitecaps.

This year has been full of emotions for Messi. With 23 goals and 14 assists, he is at the top of the league scorers table. The legendary striker announced his retirement from national football after leading Argentina to a second consecutive World Cup final and is now focusing on winning domestic glory in Florida.