Atlanta United’s thrilling win in penalties in the Eastern Conference Wild Card game was the third straight win for the 5-Stripes, and as the team rides the wave of good results, they move on to meet the best team in Major League Soccer: Inter Miami CF. Game 1 of the Round One Best-of-3 Series kicks off Friday night in Miami.
No. 9 seed Atlanta United faces No. 1 seed Inter Miami CF in the MLS Cup Playoffs. Here are a few storylines heading into the Round One Best-of-3 Series between the two Eastern Conference clubs:
Atlanta United is facing a history-making Miami squad
Inter Miami CF had a very good season to earn the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. The club won the regular season title, and also broke the record for most points earned in the table (74).
The Herons boast a talented roster that includes world-class stars:
- Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, the pair of veteran Spanish internationals
- Diego Gomez, a midfielder from Paraguay who was listed No. 1 in the 2024 22 Under 22 presented by BODYARMOR Class
- Luis Suarez, the Uruguayan striker who’s tied the team lead in goals scored this season (20)
- Lionel Messi, the World Cup winner and Argentina legend. He’s recorded 20 goals and 16 assists in 19 MLS matches played this season.
“It’s going to be hard. These are the playoffs. This is what it’s about. There are no easy games. We have to go down there, it’s another quick turnaround for us. We’re going to give it everything,” Atlanta United goalkeeper Brad Guzan said after the Wild Card win.
As the 9-seed, Atlanta United will be underdogs as they go up against the best team in the Eastern Conference, but the team has felt their backs against the wall the last few weeks and adopted the mentality that every game is a must-win.
“This is what you play for all season,” center back Derrick Williams said. “If you were to say to me, you have a playoff game against Miami, Messi and all the likes of them, you’d bite your hand off, you’d be buzzing to play it. I’m looking forward to it. We all are.”
Atlanta United has been one of the best teams against Miami in 2024
Miami only lost four times in the MLS regular season – a major reason why they got all the way to 74 points. One of those losses came at the hands of Atlanta United. On May 29, the 5-Stripes traveled to Chase Stadium, the same site as Friday’s match, and scored three goals on Miami, two from Saba Lobjanidze, to win the 100th regular season match in club history.
The second meeting between these two Eastern Conference sides occurred later in the season on September 18. Saba scored in that match as well. Inter Miami held the lead heading into the final 10 minutes of the match, then Alexey Miranchuk delivered a banger, voted AT&T Goal of the Matchday, to equalize 2-2 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium and draw the match.
Although Atlanta United had favorable outcomes against Miami this season, playoffs is a whole different story. Take for example the Montréal match. Atlanta United had not beaten Montréal in 2024 and were able to win the Wild Card game against them on Tuesday night.
“To be fair, they’re in the past now,” Williams said of those first matches against Miami. “It’s playoffs. This is when everything means the most. I’m not really thinking about the past. I’m just thinking about the next game, and I know it’s going to be difficult.”
Interim head coach Rob Valentino said there was a difference between the first match against Miami in May and the second match at home in September. He expects a new fold to the playoff match. The key this time around, he emphasized, is being efficient on the ball.
“We live to fight another day, and now we go again,” Valentino said. “The mentality won’t shift from us. It’s all about the inner belief that we have and everything on the outside won’t matter.”
Game 2 of the series will be in Atlanta
In case you missed it, this round of the MLS Cup Playoffs will be played as a Best-of-3 series, not a single elimination match. It’s the only round of the playoffs decided by a series.
The schedule for the series is here:
- Friday, October 25 – 8:30 p.m. at Miami
- Saturday, Nov. 2 – 7:00 p.m. at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta | View Tickets
- Saturday, Nov. 9 – 8:00 p.m. at Miami
This Best-of-3 series gives the lower seeds a chance to host a playoff match, which means the 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs are coming to Atlanta. Seeing the playoffs in Atlanta, especially if the 5-Stripes can get a win in Miami in Game 1, will be a huge reason to fill the seats at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
“The game at hand is the one that matters,” Valentino said. “Can’t think about what’s going to happen at the next one…. Focus on this one and go for the win.”
One thing about the Best-of-3 series that will stay the same from the Wild Card game: penalty kicks. If a match is tied at the end of regulation, then the winner will be decided by penalty kicks. There are no ties and there’s no aggregate score in the MLS Cup Playoffs.
“Every game is a knockout game,” Williams said.
Atlanta United is unbeaten in five straight road matches, going back to the regular season
Atlanta United is playing good soccer. The group has not lost its five most recent road matches, beginning with 1-0 win over Charlotte FC at Bank of America Stadium. Recently, the team has won back-to-back on the road. First at Orlando, a win that qualified the team for the playoffs on Decision Day. Then at Montréal, a win that sent them through to the Round One matches.
Atlanta United has had an incredibly demanding turnaround going back to Decision Day – a total of three matches in six days. There are surely some tired legs with three consecutive matches on the road and a lot of back-and-forth travel.
“There’s no excuses,” Valentino said. “This is exactly where we wanted to be, and now we’re blessed to be here, and we’re going to push on.”
To advance to the next stage, Atlanta United will need to get at least one win on the road. It’s a tall task to steal a win in Miami against Messi & Co., but Atlanta United welcomes the challenge.
“You have to be on top of your game, and sometimes that’s not enough, but all you can do is really just give it your all,” Williams said. “These are the games you want to play. These are the games that I would look forward to. I always wanted to play against the best, getting to play against the best ever. It’s a challenge. Every single one of us looks forward to that challenge, and no one shies away from it.”
Loyal to the 404 🔴 ⚫
Join us at Mercedes-Benz Stadium for Game 2 of the Round One Best-of-3 series against Inter Miami CF on Saturday, Nov. 2.
