#mls-playoffs

#mls-playoffs

Captain Lionel Messi scored the first goal of the night, connecting with Mateo Silvetti to head the ball into the net and earn the early lead for the visiting team. Messi then assisted on the second goal by setting up Silvetti, who rocketed the ball into the lower right corner of the goal from the left side of the field.

For those MLS fans out there who want some stunning and surprising upsets, they'll have to wait just a bit longer in this year's playoffs. In the Western Conference, the top four seeds went through with San Diego FC, the Vancouver Whitecaps, LAFC and Minnesota United FC all surpassing lower seeds, and in the case of Los Angeles and Vancouver, they needed just two games to win their series.

The Crew blew out FC Cincinnati 4-0 in the second game of their MLS Cup Round One playoff series on Sunday at Lower.com Field in Columbus, Ohio. Cincinnati came into the match leading by a game after winning the opener on Monday at TQL Stadium, but found itself trailing 1-0 when Max Arfsten opened the scoring for the Crew in the 33rd minute. The floodgates opened five minutes later when Cincinnati's Yuya Kubo was sent off and left his team to finish the match with 10 players.

It was a huge upset, right? Right? Whether you find it maddening or irresistible, MLS's fine margins remain a key part of the league. Even against the best of the best, like last year's Miami team that set a single-season points record, struggling teams still have a chance to win thanks to closely controlled roster rules designed to maintain parity.

Nashville enter the final day of the MLS regular season still unsure of their play-off place, with three clubs just behind them ready to capitalise on any slip-up. A victory against Inter Miami would seal their spot and ease the nerves in Tennessee. Inter Miami, meanwhile, have their sights set on finishing second in the Eastern Conference. Maximum points at GEODIS Park could secure that position if results elsewhere go their way - an achievement that would grant them home advantage deeper into the post-season.

Argentina national team coach Lionel Scaloni on Friday named Inter Miami's Lionel Messi and Rodrigo De Paul to his 28-player squad for the friendlies this month against Venezuela and Puerto Rico in Miami and Chicago, respectively. The participation of Messi and De Paul in the match against Venezuela on Oct. 10 remains in doubt as Inter Miami plays Atlanta United in a key MLS regular-season match at Chase Stadium one day later.

We're really excited for the weekend. A home game, with three games to go, but it's one at a time. They're [Minnesota] a team we know well. They're playing for something big in positioning. We're excited that this time of year, we're in a good spot to make the playoffs. Things are in our control or at least on our terms. We're ready to wrap it up in front of our own fans.