MLS Cup or bust? Inter Miami set "high expectations" for playoffs  | OneFootball

By Jaime Uribarri

If Inter Miami CF are among the Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs favorites, they’re not acting like it.

“I have confidence in the team. We have the best player of them all, and we’re very excited,” star midfielder Rodrigo De Paul told reporters before the Herons host Nashville SC in Friday’s Round One Best-of-3 Series opener (8 pm ET | MLS Season Pass, Apple TV; FS1, FOX Deportes).

“But in football, the best or more deserving team doesn’t always win.”

Ghosts of 2024?

The latter statement hits particularly close to home for the Herons, whose historic 2024 Supporters’ Shield-winning season ended with a shocking Round One elimination against No. 9-seeded Atlanta United.

Homegrown defender Noah Allen was a part of that squad and wants nothing more than to exorcise the ghosts of last year's playoffs.

“I think we remember what happened last year, and we're going to try to avoid that in every way possible,” Allen said.

“... I think everyone who was here last year kind of remembers it, so it kind of stays with us. So, I think that's one of the big reasons.”

For head coach Javier Mascherano, who replaced the outgoing Gerardo “Tata” Martino ahead of the 2025 campaign, any type of motivation is valid for a club that’s expected to contend for every trophy on offer – including a first-ever MLS Cup.

“What’s clear is we’re entering the most important stage of the season,” Mascherano said. “We’re going to do everything possible to start the best way possible and, more than anything, advance.

“It’s clear that we have the responsibility to win the series.”

More Messi

Fortunately for Miami, they’re entering Friday’s showdown at Chase Stadium with a fully healthy squad, highlighted by the newly re-upped Lionel Messi.

The legendary Argentine No. 10 has officially extended his contract with the Herons through the 2028 MLS season, giving him more time to build on a legacy that includes Supporters’ Shield (2024) and Leagues Cup (2023) titles.

“We have high expectations for ourselves,” Allen said. “I feel like we have the highest standards in the league in ourselves. We want to win every trophy possible.

"We want to win MLS Cup."

Lionel Messi wins 2025 MLS Golden Boot pres. by Audi

Nashville reunion

Miami’s path to the Dec. 6 final begins against Nashville, a side they beat by a 5-2 scoreline on Decision Day behind a Messi hat-trick.

In addition to locking up the 2025 MLS Golden Boot presented by Audi with his stellar performance, Messi improved to 10 goals in seven matches against the Coyotes. Miami also haven’t lost to Nashville since Messi’s mid-2023 arrival in South Florida, posting a 6W-0L-2D record across all competitions.

And yet, Mascherano believes last Saturday’s lopsided result doesn’t tell the whole story of what transpired at GEODIS Park.

“We were maybe lucky to not have conceded more goals in the first half. We gave up chances that we can’t give up tomorrow,” Mascherano noted. “From that perspective, we have to make some adjustments and repeat what we did in the second half.”

Even with recent history on Miami’s side against Nashville, they're solely focused on the present moment.

“If there’s one thing that’s beautiful about this sport, it’s that once the game starts, there are no more candidates,” Mascherano said. “The candidates exist before the match.

"Then, you have to show it on the pitch.”

Inter Miami & Nashville SC set for epic Round One clash