The Shield for Supporters. The most points scored in a single MLS season. Even though Lionel Messi is in charge of what is probably the best team in league history, that doesn’t help Inter Miami CF much after they were shockingly eliminated in Round One of the Audi 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs.

The team’s 3-2 loss to Atlanta United in Game 3 on Saturday was a shocking and sad end to a season that started with high hopes, especially after winning the MLS Cup presented by Audi on December 7.

Actually, Miami lost in Round One to the ninth-seeded team in the Eastern Conference, who needed a miracle on Decision Day to make it into the playoffs. This could be the biggest upset in the history of MLS.

Not meeting standards

Head coach Gerardo Martino said after the game, “If you think about the expectations we had for the playoffs, we clearly fell too short.” He had just said earlier that this season can’t be seen as a success for the club.

Tata said, “They’re sad, as they should be,” when asked how his players felt in the locker room. “That’s how it should be when everyone is expecting so much and the team can’t deliver.” We had gotten used to meeting our goals by the end of the year, but we failed to do so with the most important one.

Martino was disappointed, and goalkeeper Drake Callender agreed with him.

“That stinks and hurts.” We wanted to thank the people who have been with us all year with something extra. “This is something I will remember,” Callender said.

“… I feel like it’s hard to find the right words for the group. We all thought we were better than we were, and we thought this was a game we could have won.

Shock escape

Matías Rojas gave the home team the lead in the 17th minute, and Miami looked like they were on the right track. Atlanta turned the game around with two goals in just two minutes, scored in the 19th and 21st minutes. Messi’s header in the 65th minute tied the game for Miami. In the 76th minute, Bartosz Slisz scored the game-winning goal.

Tomás Avilés scored the game-winning goal while he was lying on the field and his Miami teammates begged referee Lukasz Szpala to stop the game. The action kept going because Szpala didn’t step in, and the Five Stripes took full advantage, which made Martino very unhappy.

“We kicked the ball out of bounds in a very similar play in Game 2 in Atlanta,” Martino said. “Fede Redondo was charging, and I think Jay Fortune was lying on the field. “But we did what we said we would do.”

Thanks for all the love and support this holiday season

Tweet from Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) on November 10, 2024

For Callender, there isn’t a single event that can explain why Miami had to leave the playoffs early.

“You can look back and see that we did all of these things this year: won the Supporters’ Shield and set a record for most points.” But at the end of the day, playoffs is a new landscape,” the 27-year-old said. “You’ve got to be able to beat the team that you’re lining up against.

“… The expectation is to win, and when that doesn’t happen it hurts pretty bad.”

That pain was also palpable in Chase Stadium, where fans watched in stunned silence as Atlanta players celebrated after the final whistle.

“Nothing but gratitude and apologies for not being able to achieve the objectives that we all had in mind,” Martino said when asked if he had a message for the Miami faithful. “Both them and us.”