Matchday! Messi will play, and Inter Miami can gain playoff ground with a result in Los Angeles

Playing the weekend's last match has its advantages; we know that every team Inter Miami needed to drop points did so, giving the Herons a chance to gain in the points race, if not the standings.

1. DC United 4, Chicago Fire 0

The Capitals big win moved them into the playoff spot that had been held by the Fire. United has 33 points, but only seven matches remaining to add to that total. A Fire win or draw would have set the bar at 35 or 33 points, so a United win was the best outcome for which Inter Miami could hope here.

2. Columbus Crew 4, Montreal 2

The Crew are in fine form, which is fine with the Men in Pink. Columbus moved up to fourth place with 45 points; Montreal remains eighth with 35 points, still safely beyond Miami's reach but, the more teams we can keep in our sights, the better.

3. Nashville 1, Charlotte 1

Charlotte earned a point to move into 11th; the Tennesseans tied Inter Miami on Wednesday, keeping us from garnering two badly needed points, so the least they could have done was defeat one of our quarry. Ah, well, better 31 points than 33.

4. New York City FC 1, Vancouver Whitecaps 1

The Pigeons are in 12th place with 30 points. Like Nashville, Vancouver could have helped Inter Miami with a win, but they did steal two points from NYCFC, for which we should be grateful.

5. Philadelphia Union vs. NY Red Bulls, 6:30 p.m. today

The Harrison, NJ, side plays a strong Philadelphia Union team in today's early match. Jim Curtin's boys are in fifth with 43 points and nine matches left and have the quality to improve their playoff position, although nobody's likely to catch FC Cincinnati, which has 57 points after 27 matches and a 10-pont buffer atop the East. It would be to the Herons' favor for Philadelphia to outscore Energy Drink FC tonight.

ALSO of note: Toronto FC, which trails Inter Miami on goal differential (-16 to -12), has the weekend off; the Reds already have played 27 matches, three more than Miami.

Expect Messi to start at BMO stadium tonight. With a playoff berth still theoretically within reach, Inter Miami is going all out to grab it.

"I don't imagine in this very important match with the last champion that it is a match that Messi needs to rest up," Miami coach Gerardo "Tata" Martino told reporters earlier this week. "The one we had to stop at was the Red Bulls team, he played 30 minutes (in a 2-0 Herons' win), that's how we did it this week and now tomorrow he's going to play."

"I don't imagine in this very important match with the last champion that it is a match that Messi needs to rest up.

"

- Inter Miami coach Tata Martino

I for one question the wisdom of riding Messi until he's broken; he looked slightly the worse for wear in Wednesday's draw against Nashville. A grueling schedule since coming to Inter Miami has obviously taken its toll, and I believe resting Messi and our other key players sooner rather than later could cost us a match but salvage the playoff hunt.

On the other hand, the international break will devastate Miami's roster as nine players will miss MLS matches for the Pink while representing their native lands (or nations whose laws allow them to claim citizenship, whatever). Messi, the hero of Argentina's World Cup championship in December, still will pay a key role for La Albiceleste. Here are Inter Miami's call-ups, in alphabetical order by last name: Edison Azcona, Dominican Republic; Drake Callender, USA; Benjamin Cremaschi, USA; Diego Gomez, Paraguay; Sergii Kryvstov, Ukraine; Josef Martinez, Venezuela; Lionel Messi, Argentina; David Ruiz, Honduras; and Robert Taylor, Finland.

Ecuador did not invite sometimes-starter Leo Campana, a striker, and Spanish legends Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets have retired from international duty, so they will be available to anchor the depleted South Florida side, and it's important to remember other MLS teams also will lose players to the international window. That's life in a league that struggles with the FIFA schedule.

Don't expect LAFC to take La Rosanegra lightly, though. The Black & Gold are in third place in the Western Conference, seven points behind St. Louis City with nine matches left to play. They're likely to copy Nashville's strategy of loading their penalty box with defenders and hope to catch the Herons on the fast break. I expect Tata to expect such a tactic, so it will be interesting to see what surprises he has in store for Steve Cherundolo and company.

Get ready, Inter Miami fans, this should be a good one. Vamos, la Rosa y Negra!