{"id":19966,"date":"2025-10-25T06:04:07","date_gmt":"2025-10-25T06:04:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/19966\/"},"modified":"2025-10-25T06:04:07","modified_gmt":"2025-10-25T06:04:07","slug":"lionel-messi-inter-miami-make-big-opening-playoff-statement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/19966\/","title":{"rendered":"Lionel Messi & Inter Miami make big opening playoff statement"},"content":{"rendered":"

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. \u2013 Chants of \u201cMessi, Messi, Messi\u201d began ringing out at Chase Stadium shortly before kickoff of Friday\u2019s Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs opener between Inter Miami CF<\/a> and Nashville SC<\/a>.<\/p>\n

They only got louder as the night progressed.<\/p>\n

The superstar No. 10 fed off the energy of a pre-game ceremony<\/a> commemorating his MLS Golden Boot presented by Audi conquest to lead Miami to a convincing 3-1 win<\/a> in Game 1 of their Round One Best-of-3 Series.<\/p>\n

Messi was the difference maker once again for the Herons, scoring his first-ever MLS postseason brace and adding a secondary assist on a Tadeo Allende<\/a> goal in the second half as Miami put in a dominating performance behind their legendary captain.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s always a pleasure playing next to him,\u201d said fellow Argentine Rodrigo De Paul<\/a> of Messi. \u201cHaving him on the team, it gives us an advantage.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n Nashville destroyer<\/p>\n

Messi gives Miami a particular advantage against Nashville.<\/p>\n

After locking up the Golden Boot last week with a hat trick during a 5-2 Decision Day rout<\/a> at GEODIS Park, the eight-time Ballon d\u2019Or winner posted 2g\/1a on Friday to make it 12 goals in eight matches against the Coyotes.<\/p>\n

Miami have dominated Nashville since his mid-2023 arrival, posting a 7W-0L-2D in nine games across all competitions \u2013 beginning with the Leagues Cup<\/a> 2023 final that gave the club their first-ever title.<\/p>\n

And with the ink still drying on Messi\u2019s contract extension<\/a> that will keep him with the Herons through the 2028 season, the vibes are high in South Florida.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s incredible having him here,\u201d said defender Maxi Falc\u00f3n<\/a>. \u201cThe fans, little by little, are watching him become a club icon. It\u2019s something really beautiful. He shows it on the field.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, the Uruguayan center back knows the series is far from settled and expects a tough visit to GEODIS Park for Game 2 on Nov. 1 (7:30 pm ET | MLS Season Pass, Apple TV<\/a>).<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re going to come out with everything,\u201d Falc\u00f3n said. \u201cBecause they have to win.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n All hands on deck<\/p>\n

Head coach Javier Mascherano echoed that sentiment, urging his players to stay focused.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis won\u2019t be enough. We have to keep improving,\u201d Mascherano said, possibly in reference to Miami\u2019s stunning Round One elimination against Atlanta United<\/a> in last year\u2019s playoffs.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to understand that with each passing game, the margin of error has [to] be less and less,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s going to continue to be our mindset. We can\u2019t be satisfied with today.\u201d<\/p>\n

Additionally, Mascherano underscored the importance of getting the most out of his entire roster, and not just Messi, if the club is to make a serious run at MLS Cup presented by Audi on Dec. 6.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt this stage, everyone is important,\u201d Mascherano said. \u201cIn order to reach the highest level possible, we\u2019re going to need everybody.<\/p>\n

“Because that\u2019s the reality.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. \u2013 Chants of \u201cMessi, Messi, Messi\u201d began ringing out at Chase Stadium shortly before kickoff…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":19967,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[10368,5429,1660,16163,123,125,124,11970,5426,4959],"class_list":["post-19966","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-miami","tag-golden-boot","tag-inter-miami-cf","tag-lionel-messi","tag-match-reaction","tag-miami","tag-miami-headlines","tag-miami-news","tag-miavsnsh-10-24-2025","tag-mls-cup-playoffs","tag-sendtonews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19966","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19966"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19966\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19967"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19966"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19966"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19966"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}