THE ROAD TO THE FINAL IS OPEN
If they continue to beat Atlanta United in the second match at 6am on November 3 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Messi and Inter Miami will soon advance and have many advantages to prepare for the semi-finals of the Eastern Conference play-off round, before aiming to win the MLS Cup – the US professional soccer tournament, in the 2024 season.
The opportunity is wide open for Messi, because the next opponent Inter Miami will face if they advance could be the same city club Orlando City SC – the team that won 2-0 against Charlotte FC in the first match of the first round of the MLS Cup playoffs. Orlando City SC as well as Inter Miami are considered to have a high probability of winning the second match against their opponents, so that they can meet in the epic match in the Eastern region playoffs semi-finals. In the MLS round of the season, Inter Miami beat Orlando City SC 5-0 and drew 0-0. Therefore, if they meet again, Messi and his teammates will have a high probability of continuing to defeat their rivals to reach the Eastern region playoffs final.
Another advantage for Messi and his teammates is that Columbus Crew started the match with a home defeat (this is considered the biggest opponent that can prevent Inter Miami from reaching the regional throne). The reigning MLS Cup champion Columbus Crew surprisingly lost 0-1 to New York Red Bulls, so they must win their remaining 2 matches, including the upcoming away match, to be able to continue. If they do this, Columbus Crew can face FC Cincinnati in the semi-finals, the team that easily beat New York City FC 1-0 in the first match.
Therefore, to decide their own chances when the path to the final is wide open, Messi and his teammates need to put all their efforts into defeating Atlanta United in the second match, so that they do not need to use the third match even though they are playing at home. Thereby, they will have time to rest and carefully analyze the next opponents.
NEW RECORDS ARE ABOUT TO BE BREAKED
The match between Inter Miami and Atlanta United at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on November 3 is expected to have about 75,000 spectators, thereby setting a record for the most spectators in a match of the season.
Previously, according to MLS statistics, the match that held the record for the most viewers was Inter Miami’s 3-2 win over Sporting Kansas City on April 14 with 72,610 spectators. But this record is likely to be surpassed soon, as Mercedes-Benz Stadium has expanded its maximum capacity when Atlanta United hosts Inter Miami. American press reported that more than 70,000 fans have bought tickets, and the remaining tickets are likely to be sold out by match day.
Meanwhile, Apple TV announced that Inter Miami’s 2-1 win over Atlanta United on October 26 set a record for the most viewers on the channel when broadcasting a live sporting event. This was very special because it took place at the same time as many other top sporting events in the US, such as the World Series baseball tournament. In addition, the social network TikTok, when live-streaming Messi’s every move on the field, at one point attracted more than 100,000 viewers, setting a record for a live session in the history of this platform.
