Inter Miami are aiming to end the season with the MLS Cup.
But to lift the trophy, Lionel Messi and co. will have to negotiate the playoffs, and their first-round tie is on a knife edge.
Inter Miami were favourites to win it all before the postseason kicked off, but will first have to make their way past Atlanta United.
And that’s proving easier said than done, as they have been taken to a crucial Game 3 in the first round.
The first fixture was won 2-1 by hosts Inter Miami, thanks to goals from ex-Barcelona stars Luis Suarez and Jordi Alba.
But Atlanta United hit back in the second game, winning it by the same scoreline on their home field to force a third match.
They return to Inter Miami’s Chase Stadium for the decider on November 9 looking to spring an upset.
In goal for Atlanta United is Brad Guzan, who at the age of 40 is now hoping to stop Messi and his teammates from getting their hands on the MLS Cup.
A former Premier League star, the ex-Aston Villa and Middlesbrough goalkeeper made 154 appearances in England’s top flight after joining from Chivas USA.
He was with Villa for eight seasons, between 2008 and 2016, where he played 144 of those games.
He was part of the squad that reached the 2010 League Cup final, which Manchester United ultimately won 2-1 through Michael Owen and a Wayne Rooney winner.
In 2013, the Illinois native remarkably registered the assist in a 3–2 win over Manchester City – booting the ball upfield for Andreas Weimann to poke around the onrushing Joe Hart and into the net.
Two years later he was part of the Villa side that reached the FA Cup final where Arsenal thumped them 4-0.
After eight years with Villa, Guzan went on loan to Hull City and featured in 16 Championship games, before joining Middlesbrough to make his final 10 Premier League appearances.
In 2017, he moved back to the MLS, and has been with Atlanta United ever since.
Having won the MLS Cup once before in 2018, Guzan is now looking to deny Messi this time around.
To add another layer of drama to the tie, Inter Miami are coached by Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino, who guided Atlanta United to their triumph six years ago.
“The names and the personnel, that immediately stands out, right?” Guzan said of Inter Miami’s threat, after the first playoff game.
“From a name standpoint, it certainly feels Premier League-esque, in terms of the caliber of names.
“With that being said, that’s all good and great, and those guys then have to fit into a system, and being somebody that has worked under Tata before, I know how he likes to work and operate, and so he sets them up for success with those guys.
“So then it adds a whole other element – it’s no longer just a bunch of individuals, or three individuals, if you will. It’s now a team and a unit that can hurt you many different ways.
“That for us is obviously the challenge of trying to not just stop one or two guys, but trying to stop Inter Miami as a whole.”
Guzan was a busy man in Game 1, making eight saves to keep the score respectable as Inter Miami’s star-studded attack peppered his goal.
But he conceded a freak goal in Game 2 a few days later, dropping the ball and falling over as he tried to clear it upfield, allowing Federico Redondo to square it to David Martinez who clipped the ball into Guzan’s empty net.
If Atlanta United are to upset Inter Miami in Game 3, Guzan will need to avoid any more mistakes like that.
