At this point, Inter Miami is on the verge of either moving on to the next round – or losing its big chance at the MLS Cup at the hands of the Atlanta United. The Supporters’ Shield winners looked invincible for most of the season, but they are now facing elimination this time, and it is going to be in a do-or-die game at home where they have a chance to finally impress and get back on the winning track.

The expectations can really hurt reality at this point. Inter Miami was expected to dust off its playoff success with a promising run to the top and make quick work of the Atlanta United then have at least two weeks of rest before moving to the East Semis. At this point, it cannot be denied that the table has been flipped, and the script isn’t being followed anymore.

That being said, the headlines would be “Inter Miami set to dominate Atlanta United”, but now it seems that Inter Miami will now have to find a way to survive this one and score a much-needed win to move on to the next round. At this point, it is all about making it to the semis now more than ever.

The Last Two Games

Inter Miami was initially expected to make this look easy and move towards the semis with not much trouble. That was seen in their expected 2-1 win in Game 1 where they hammered the ninth seed all-day long. It was a promising victory that proved to be the big response to all the doubts placed on the team, saying they were too old to play and were not healthy from the injuries as well.

However, Atlanta has been gritty for most of its games, especially that wildcard win against Montreal where they pulled off a 5-4 win on the shootouts. That was later seen in the second game against Inter Miami when they rallied their home fans as AU found a way to catch Lionel Messi and the squad off-guard as they scored a 2-1 win of their own. That one was a much clearer win than the previous game, and it cannot be denied that the momentum has now shifted in their favor.

Game 3 will be held at home for Miami, but that does not mean that they will be instant favorites to win at this point. This is going to be an all-out war, and the winner is expected to clinch a chance to make it to the Conference Final now more than ever.

Now or Never

As of the time of writing, Inter Miami still remains the top pick to look out for in terms of odds. The Supporters’ Cup winners stand at +129. Atlanta United’s odds? Dead last at 10th with odds of +15,900. That just says a lot about the big stakes that will be on display when these two teams collide now more than ever.

Lionel Messi is on the brink of having his legacy blemished on the big stage. Back then, the Ronaldo-Messi debate was settled with Messi having won it all, except that he’s still trying to win it in the MLS as well. Aging legs have been one of the big problems in this matchup, and Atlanta United has capitalized well on the pace to tire out Inter Miami’s veterans to score off big goals.

Bigger things are on the line, but for Inter Miami and Lionel Messi, it is a now or never situation. And they will need to bring everything they’ve got to close it out with a bang.