Inter Miami face off against Nashville SC in the first round of the MLS Cup playoffs looking to improve on a dismal 2024 performance.
The Herons wrapped up their regular season on Saturday night as Lionel Messi scored a hat trick in a 5–2 win over their first playoff opponent at GEODIS Park.
Nashville went through an outstanding run in midseason, and the attacking duo of Hany Mukhtar and Sam Surridge proved themselves as one of the most potent in the league. Yet, a late-season dip and the Decision Day loss dropped them down to sixth in the Eastern Conference.
Meanwhile, the Herons weathered 27 games in 100 days after the FIFA Club World Cup, and brought their struggling early-season form to a new level on the road to the third seed in the Eastern Conference.
GOOOOL! Hat-trick del 10 🎩✨ pic.twitter.com/Ybnql8Uo8s
— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) October 19, 2025
By the end of the 34-game schedule, Miami finished with 65 points, trailing only the Supporters’ Shield-winning Philadelphia Union, who finished on 66. FC Cincinnati secured second place, holding the tiebreaker over Miami, after a 3–0 victory over CF Montréal on Saturday.
While Miami’s points total is well below the record-setting 74 they reached in 2024, they had their most successful attacking season with 81 goals—just the third team in MLS history to score 80 or more.
Miami host Nashville at Chase Stadium in game one, before heading back to GEODIS Park for game two. If needed, a decisive third game would be played back in Florida.
However, Javier Mascherano’s side could lose home field advantage as soon as the second round, depending on which other teams advance. In 2024, previously Miami’s lone playoff appearance, they exited as the top team to the ninth-seed, Atlanta United, in one of the biggest upsets in playoff history.
With legends Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba set to retire at the end of the postseason, Miami will certainly hope that comes with them hoisting the MLS Cup on Dec. 6.
When Are the MLS Cup Playoffs?
- Wild Card Matches: Oct. 22
- Round One Best-of-3 Series: Oct. 24–Nov. 9
- Conference Semifinals: Nov. 22–23
- Conference Finals: Nov. 29–30
- MLS Cup: Dec. 6
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Who Inter Miami Play in the MLS Cup Playoffs First Round.