What Lionel Messi, Inter Miami Must Do To Win MLS Cup

There are 11 MLS games left for Inter Miami this season, including Wednesday night’s matchup against Nashville at DRV PNK Stadium. And there is a clear picture for Lionel Messi to help Inter Miami win its first MLS Cup title.

Messi officially made his MLS debut Saturday against the New York Red Bulls at Red Bull Arena. The Argentinian superstar only had played in Leagues Cup and U.S. Open Cup matches before Saturday, and he extended his streak of a goal or assist in every game to nine matches.

Inter Miami is 11 points behind the Chicago Fire for the final spot in the MLS Cup playoffs heading into Wednesday, so there is a realistic path if it gets hot. If Inter Miami earns the No. 9 seed, it will play in a wild-card playoff round to advance to a single-elimination format the league will introduce this season.

Messi has proven he still is one of the best players of all time and that MLS defenders are subpar compared to players in top European clubs. It feels as if anything is possible when he steps onto the field, but sportsbooks hope regression comes soon.

Back when Inter Miami was at the bottom of the Eastern Conference in June, it was 200-1 to win MLS Cup at BetMGM. That number continued to shorten once it became clear Messi would sign, and after he’s played in the Leagues Cup, that number went as short as 6-1.

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Inter Miami has been bet on 41.2% of tickets with 56.7% of money on it to win MLS Cup, according to data analyst John Ewing. It’s the sportsbook’s top liability, so a failure to make the playoffs or win MLS Cup would benefit the sportsbook.

It is +750 on FanDuel to win MLS Cup, and Messi is +600 to be the league’s top goalscorer despite only playing one game. He scored as a substitute Saturday, but he’s still 12 goals behind Nashville’s Hany Mukhtar, and there are four players tied for second with 12 goals.

Inter Miami did well this summer to add more talent to the squad, and Tata Martino is the ideal manager to get the best out of his players given his pedigree as Atlanta United coach and winning MLS Cup 2018.

Messi will need to rest at some point, but he’s been locked in since he joined Inter Miami when he helped them win the Leagues Cup and took it to the U.S. Open Cup final, which will be on Sept. 27. His anytime goal prop has been a locked-in bet for a lot of casual fans — it’s -230 for Wednesday’s matchup — and it’s probably best to enjoy the ride rather than look foolish and find a fade option.