Inter Miami have enjoyed an almost flawless 2024 Major League Soccer season, finishing as the best team in the regular season and securing a comfortable playoff berth. Now, as they enter the critical stage, their first test comes against Atlanta United. With this in mind, coach Gerardo Martino has chosen his strongest lineup, including Lionel Messi.
Tonight at Chase Stadium, Messi will start and once again wear the captain’s armband. The Argentine forward, in peak form after his international appearances with Argentina against Venezuela and Bolivia, returned to Inter Miami last weekend to score a hat-trick in a 6-2 victory over the New England Revolution. Now he is ready to make history in his first MLS playoff appearance.
As this marks Inter Miami’s first decisive playoff game, head coach Martino aims to field his best talent to secure an advantage that would bring the Herons closer to an Eastern Conference semifinal spot.
Inter Miami’s lineup
The Herons will field not only Messi but also other star players such as Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets, and Luis Suarez. Martino’s starting XI is: Drake Callender; Marcelo Weigandt, Tomas Aviles, Hector Martinez, Jordi Alba; Yannick Bright, Sergio Busquets, Federico Redondo; Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Diego Gomez.
On the bench are Carlos Santos, Franco Negri, Noah Allen, Ian Fray, Benjamin Cremaschi, Matias Rojas, Julian Gressel, Robert Taylor, and Leonardo Campana.
Atlanta United’s challenge
The Five Stripes reached the playoffs by overcoming the Montreal Impact in a penalty shootout during the Wild Card round. They now face a significant challenge against the top regular-season team, but they remain optimistic about staging an upset and advancing to the semifinals.
Coach Rob Valentino chose the following starting lineup: Brad Guzan; Brooks Lennon, Rode Gregersen, Derrick Williams, Pedro Amador; Dax McCarty, Bartosz Slisz; Saba Lobzhanidze, Aleksei Miranchuk, Ajani Fortune, Jamal Thiare. The substitutes are Joshua Cohen, Luis Abram, Luke Brennan, Noah Cobb, Tristan Muyumba Nkita, Matthew Edwards, Tyler Wolff, Xande Silva and Daniel Rios.
Playoff format and schedule
The playoff series will continue next Saturday, November 2, with the second leg in Georgia, at Mercedez-Benz Stadium. If either team wins both games, they’ll advance to the next round; otherwise, a deciding third match will be held in Miami on November 9.