FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Inter Miami suffered a stunning first-round elimination from the 2024 Major League Soccer playoffs after falling 3-2 against Atlanta United in Game 3 at Chase Stadium on Saturday night.
Lionel Messi looked to have rescued Miami when scoring a second-half equalizer but Bartosz Slisz won the game and the series for Atlanta with a controversial 76th minute header.
The goal was scored while Miami defender Toms Avils was down hurt in his own penalty area, with his teammates appealing for the referee to stop the game to allow him to receive treatment.
Messi twice had chances to level the scores once more with free-kicks but on both occasions hit his efforts into the wall as Miami fell victim to arguably the biggest upset in MLS playoff history.
Led by the Argentina star, Miami entered the postseason as the No. 1 seed after setting the MLS record for most points recorded in a single season to claim its first Supporters' Shield. But it fell short by two games to one against an Atlanta side that finished ninth in the Eastern Conference, 34 points behind Miami, and only qualified for the postseason with a final-day win to clinch a wild-card spot.
The Herons initially defeated Atlanta in the first game at home in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, before going on to lose the second match at Mercedes-Benz Stadium to tie the series and force a decisive third game.
And the team again struggled against the Five Stripes Saturday. Though Matas Rojas gave Miami the lead in the 17th minute, Jamal Thiare quickly found the equalizer just minutes later. Atlanta United then doubled the score within seconds with a second strike from Thiare.
Miami, which amassed 79 goals in 34 regular-season games -- including 20 each from Messi and Luis Surez -- would get back on level terms through Messi. But defensive frailties and a standout performance from Atlanta's 40-year-old goalkeeper Brad Guzan saw a star-studded Miami team exit the postseason to dramatically conclude the 2024 season.
Atlanta will face Orlando City in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
The loss continues Miami's struggles in the MLS postseason, with the team co-owned by David Beckham still never progressing beyond the first round.
The South Florida team first featured in the MLS postseason in its inaugural 2020 season, losing 3-0 to Nashville in the play-in round. Two years later, the Herons fell 3-0 to New York City FC in the first round.
Miami missed the playoffs last year following Messi's mid-year arrival.
Inter Miami, which has the biggest payroll in MLS, will now shift focus to building the roster for the 2025 season, when it will compete in the expanded 32-team Club World Cup.
Though Surez's contract is set to end at the end of this year, the forward has revealed there have been negotiations between his agent and the club to extend his time in South Florida.
Messi's deal with Miami will see him play one more season at Chase Stadium.
