MLS Cup defense, Messi's MVP bid top Inter Miami's postseason storylines

Wow. Where to start? A lot has happened since my last post; instead of trying to recap Inter Miami's mediocre slog through its final regular-season matches, let's turn our attention to the here and now.

Below are my top two storylines heading into the playoffs. I plan to write about them in more detail going forward, and I'm excited to get back to work sharing my opinions on all things Inter Miami through the holiday season and into next year's sprint season and change to a fall-spring schedule.

MLS Cup defense. The Herons finished the regular season with 60 points -- 16 wins, 6 losses and 12 draws -- good enough for second place in the Eastern Conference and third overall (Las Garzas were 19-7-8, 65 points in 2025, finishing third in both the East and MLS). Theoretically, Miami will have the home-field advantage in its first round, best-of-three series against the seventh-seeded Columbus Crew (14-15-5, 47 points), but the Herons have been woefully inefficient in Nu Stadium, winning just six of 17 matches. And, despite their record, at no point this season has Inter Miami looked like a championship caliber side; the Herons have struggled to replace irreplaceable legends Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets, to adapt to three (3!) coaching styles after the resignation of Javier Mascherano and his staff, the stewardship of interim coach Guillermo Hoyos and the arrival of new skipper Kily González, and to develop a consistent identity thanks to injuries and subpar performances from newcomers David Ayala, Germán Berterame, Facundo Mura and Sergio Reguilón.

The Herons won just six of their final 19 matches in all competitions and tied seven; González is 5-2-3 since replacing Hoyos; that's not as inspiring as the 6-1-1 streak Miami posted down the stretch a year ago before romping through the playoffs with five wins in six matches to lift its first MLS Cup.

If Las Garzas can replicate last year's success, they'll be the first MLS team to repeat as champions since the Los Angeles Galaxy in 2011-2012. But honestly, I'm not optimistic.

Most valuable Messi. The iconic Argentine forward finished second to midfielder Rodri in voting for the World Cup Golden Ball winner after losing to Rodri and Spain 1-0 in extra time in the Cup final in July; he finished fifth in this year's Ballon d'Or voting behind Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappé, Lamine Yamal and Rodri. The only reason to think he might not win his third consecutive Major League Soccer MVP Award is the possibility voters are tired of his dominating the United States' top division -- if that happens, MLS loses any pretense of integrity on the international stage.

The league announced finalists for its individual awards Thursday; Messi is joined by FC Cincinnati's Evander, Houston's Guilherme, Nashville's Hany Mukhtar, and Philadelphia's wonder kid, 17-year-old Cavan Sullivan. Voters should consider a player's overall impact on his team to determine who is more valuable, but goal contributions are a pretty good indicator, too. And nobody came close to Messi's 43 goal contributions this year (26 goals, 17 assists). Mukhtar, the best player on this year's best team, Nashville, had 25 contributions (17g, 8a). Evander had 31 (14g, 17a), Guilherme 26 (16g, 10a) and Sullivan 23 (9g, 14a).

In the league's 31-year history, only two players -- Messi and Preki (1997 and 2003) -- have won two MVP awards. The 2026 award winner will be announced during the MLS Cup playoffs, but I'm betting Messi's name is on it.

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