The Playoff Picture: What Inter Miami Needs to Make the MLS Cup Playoffs

Former Indianapolis Colts head coach Jim Mora made it famous when he was asked about his team’s prospects to make the playoffs:

But here we are Inter Miami fans… on constant playoff watch.

Certainly wasn’t the case in June when the hopes of Inter Miami making the MLS Cup playoffs were about as good as Wyoming beating Texas Tech in college football… whoops.

Let’s get into what the Herons have in store to make the playoffs.

A Tough Road to Hoe For Inter Miami

Why Major League Soccer plays matches during the international break still baffles me.

They do and Inter Miami is going to be a completely different team over the next two matches as the Herons will be without NINE of its players due to international obligations.

I get it. National teams need to play too. But the absurdity of MLS still playing during the international windows is completely idiotic to me.

Regardless, Inter Miami will be without the following players for at least the next two matches:

• Edison Azcona (M, Dominican Republic);

• Drake Callender (GK, USA);

• Benjamin Cremaschi (M, USA);

• Diego Gomez (M, Paraguay);

• Sergii Kryvtsov (D, Ukraine);

• Josef Martinez (F, Venezuela);

• Lionel Messi (F, Argentina);

• David Ruiz (M, Honduras);

• Robert Taylor (M, Finland).

It means the Herons will be without a majority of its starters for matches against Sporting Kansas City and Atlanta United — two critical games in the march to the playoffs.

Currently, Inter Miami has 25 points from 25 matches. They are eight points back of D.C. United who hold the ninth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

In all, Inter Miami has nine games left on the schedule in the regular season, so every point matters.