There will be one more game at Chase Stadium as Inter Miami booked their place in the MLS Cup final for the first time in their history after beating New York City FC 5-1 on Saturday night. For the first time during the playoffs, Miami scored without Lionel Messi when Argentine Tadeo Allende opened the scoring en route to a hat-trick, and this was quite significant as New York FC were the team that put the most pressure on them during the series, despite the lopsided scoreline.
The final score didn't show how close the match was as it was a scrappy affair, but Miami's goal came through. Allende now has eight goals in the MLS Cup playoffs, a record, and even though Miami saw a 262-minute shutout end after Justin Haack headed in late in the first half, Mateo Silvetti restored the Hapleys' two-goal lead and they haven't looked back.
You could tell how much that 67th-minute goal meant to Javier Mascherano as he clenched his fist on the sidelines as he pushed the right buttons with his team during the knockout stages. Silvetti made three consecutive starts in place of Luis Suarez and during that time he combined with Messi to score four goals, while Rocco Rios Novo's replacement as starting goalkeeper was important and he made the life-saving save before Silvetti's goal.
With this victory, the careers of Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba will be extended for another seven days, with the duo retiring at the end of the season. Miami will also be able to close out Chase Stadium on a high if they manage to win the MLS Cup, where they will face the winner of Saturday's match between San Diego and the Vancouver Whitecaps.
Miami have already lost in the League Cup final this season, but the only thing missing from Miami's campaign is trophies, but there are only 90 minutes left to take care of that. Despite everything, they will play the final, but who will they play later, on Saturday evening. The Herons have a better record than both in the Supporters' Shield standings, giving them the right to host the final, and Messi could now be 90 minutes away from adding another trophy to his cabinet.
