Inter Miami seeks revenge at Atlanta
The Five Stripes ended the Herons’ season last year with one of the most unlikely upsets in MLS Cup playoff history. The Pink & Black face Atlanta United at 7 p.m. EDT Sunday in Georgia.
It’s not a rivalry — not yet — but Inter Miami fans have had Sunday’s match in Atlanta circled on their calendars since Major League Soccer announced its 2025 schedule.
Lionel Messi walks off the Chase Stadium field Nov. 9 while Atlanta United players celebrate their 3-2 win in Game 3 of the best-of-three first round of the 2024 MLS Cup playoffs. Photo: Rebecca Blackwell/AP
The Five Stripes completed arguably the greatest upset in MLS Cup playoff history against mighty Inter Miami on Nov. 9, 2024, with a 3-2 win at Chase Stadium. The victory gave Atlanta United a 2-1 first-round series win. (For more about the series, scroll to the bottom of this report.)
The teams meet Sunday in Atlanta for the first time since that dramatic showdown four months ago. Inter Miami (2-0-1 MLS, 6-0-1 in all competitive matches) is undefeated in its last 12 matches, including five preseason friendlies.
Atlanta United (1-1-1) started the new season by beating Montreal 3-2 at home, losing 2-0 at Charlotte FC and playing the New York Red Bulls, MLS Cup runners-up in 2024, to a scoreless draw.
Stripes struggling to score
The offensive woes are puzzling, considering Atlanta added former Five Stripes’ standout Miguel Almirón, 31, from Newcastle, and rising star Emmanuel Latte Lath, 26, from Middlesbrough of the EFL Championship (England’s second division).
Miguel Almirón rose to stardom at Atlanta United before playing for Newcastle United in England. Now he’s back in Red & Black leading the Five Stripes’ attack. Photo: Atlanta United (atlutd.com)
Almirón, from Paraguay, had 44 goal contributions (22 goals and 22 assists) in 73 appearances for Atlanta from 2016-19 and was a key player for the 2018 MLS Cup champions. Playing for England’s Newcastle United, Almirón scored 30 goals and added 12 assists in 223 appearances. He has one assist in the first three matches of 2025.
Latte Lath was being monitored under the league’s concussion protocol after being hit in the head against the Red Bulls last week, but first-year Atlanta coach Ronny Deila said Friday the Ivory Coast native may be available to play. Latte Lath netted 27 goals for Middlesbrough in 59 matches and has scored Atlanta’s only goals this year.
Deila said Friday the offense is still learning to play together.
“We have to learn to run to score as a team, not score for ourselves.”
— Ronny Deila, Atlanta United coach
“In the last third of the pitch, we need to be more accurate,” Deila said. “We have to run to score as a team, not score for ourselves.”
Will Messi play?
The first question reporters ask first-year Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano is the same: Will Messi play?
Probably not in Sunday’s match; if he does, he’ll come off the bench or start and leave the game early. Messi played 35 minutes Thursday in the Herons’ 2-0 Concacaf Champions Cup win in Jamaica, entering in the 53rd minute and scoring just before the referee’s final whistle.
The 37-year-old icon missed Inter Miami’s previous three matches because of what the team called “muscle fatigue,” and Mascherano is committed to managing his star’s minutes.
Photo: Getty Images
Messi will report to the Argentina national team’s March camp, which begins Tuesday, while most of his teammates rest at home during FIFA’s international window.
La Albiceleste will play important World Cup qualifiers Friday at Uruguay and March 25 against Brazil.
Miami’s expected starters
It’s easier to know who won’t be playing for the Herons than predict a starting eleven. Mascherano has depth everywhere on the pitch (except striker) and likes to get everyone (except, notably, veteran midfielder Julian Gressel) involved.
Oscar Ustari, who started in goal for every competitive match this year while Drake Callender nursed an adductor injury, is not available Sunday. The 38-year-old Argentinian and Messi pal earned a red card against Charlotte last week and will serve a one-game MLS suspension.
Drake Callender hasn’t played in 2025 because of an adductor injury but could get the start Sunday. Photo: Inter Miami (intermiamicf.com)
Inter Miami’s medical staff cleared Callender weeks ago, but the hero of the Herons’ 2023 Leagues Cup championship reportedly has told the team his personal trainer has advised against playing until Callender has confidence that he’s recovered fully. I’m hoping to see him on the pitch Sunday; Ustari has played very well in Callender’s absence and, if Callender wants to be a starting net-minder, he needs to get busy reclaiming that spot with Miami or look for a different place to play.
If Callender can’t go, Rocco Rios Novo will get his first official MLS start.
Right back Chelo Weigandt and wingers Fafa Picault and Robert Taylor are expected to miss the match with injuries.
My expected starters:
Goalkeeper: Callender or Novo
Wingbacks: Jordi Alba and Ian Fray, with Gonzalo Lujan, David Ruiz, Benjamin Cremaschi, Noah Allen and Julian Gressel also options.
Center backs: Maximiliano Falcon and Noah Allen. Options: Lujan, Fray, David Hernandez, Ryan Sailor.
Defensive midfielders: Sergio Busquets, Yannick Bright. Options: Federico Redondo, Ruiz.
Central midfielder: Telasco Segovia. Options: Messi, Cremaschi, Tadeo Allende, Ruiz.
Wingers: Allende and Ruiz. Options: Cremaschi, Segovia, Messi.
Striker: Luis Suarez. Options: Allende?
Atlanta’s expected starters
Goalkeeper: Brad Guzan.
Wingbacks: Pedro Amador and Brooks Lennon.
Center backs: Derrick Williams and Stian Gregersen.
Midfield: Ajani Fortune, Aleksey Miranchuk, and Bartosz Slisz.
Wingers: Saba Lobjanidze and Almirón.
Striker: Latte Lath.
Playoff upset
Atlanta goalkeeper Brad Guzan had 18 saves in the Five Stripes’ three-game first-round upset of Inter Miami in November. Photo: MLSsoccer.com.
Inter Miami earned the Supporters Shield with an MLS season-record 74 points in 2024 and were heavy favorites to add the MLS Cup to their trophy case.
The Five Stripes, on the other hand, squeaked into ninth place and the last playoff spot on the last day of the season. Atlanta and D.C. United each finished with 40 points, but Atlanta held the advantage in goal differential and advanced to a play-in match against eighth-seeded Montreal. The underdogs won 5-4 in penalty kicks after a 2-2 draw in Quebec.
Atlanta and Miami traded 2-1 home wins in the best-of-three first-round series — Xande Silva won the second match with a 94th-minute header — to force Game 3.
Fans who want to refresh their memories of that match can read The Associated Press’ report from the night of the match.
Inter Miami has six wins and seven losses in the clubs’ all-time series, and the clubs have tied four times. But Atlanta has won four of the last six meetings, including the two dramatic playoff victories, while the Herons have managed just one.
The budding rivalry will be featured on Sunday Night Soccer on Apple TV+’ MLS Season Pass package.