Mascherano says Inter Miami will fight on in Supporters' Shield hunt

Javier Mascherano insists his Inter Miami side will not give up on a second consecutive MLS Supporters' Shield, even with another tight turnaround before they face the Chicago Fire.

Miami were held to a 1-1 draw by FC Toronto on Saturday, in a game that was played just three days after the Herons won 4-0 at New York City.

They sit fourth in the Eastern Conference standings but have played two games fewer than all the teams around them, and a pair of victories in their matches in hand would take them within one point of the conference and Supporters' Shield leaders, the Philadelphia Union.

Owing to their participation at the Club World Cup and their runners-up finish in the Leagues Cup, Miami have had several games rescheduled and face a packed schedule before the MLS Cup playoffs.

Tuesday's game against Chicago will be their 20th midweek match (on Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Thursdays) in all competitions this year, a figure only reached by six previous MLS teams.

Reflecting on the draw with Toronto, Mascherano said: "Not even 72 hours had passed since the match in New York. It's a huge physical toll, and we faced a team that hadn't lost in their last five games.

"We have to keep going. We have four matches left and we'll try to win them all to finish as high as possible.

"We're focused on ending the regular season near the top. Maybe we missed an opportunity today, but we want home-field advantage in the playoffs.

"We'll keep fighting for the Supporters' Shield – we have that obligation."

Tuesday's game could also be a pivotal one for Chicago, who occupy the East's final play-in spot and are five points clear of the New York Red Bulls, behind them in 10th.

Gregg Berhalter's men have won back-to-back games against Minnesota United and the Columbus Crew, and a victory in Florida would secure their place in the postseason.

"I think our first half was probably the best half of soccer we've played all year," Berhalter said after Saturday's win.

"They had zero shots, zero expected goals, we were completely on it. At this time of year, it's important to play well.

"But we also know that we have a difficult week coming up, with two good opponents in Miami and Toronto, and we have to keep getting results if we want to keep climbing."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Inter Miami – Lionel Messi 

Messi, whose 24 goals this season are the most in MLS, has recorded multiple goal contributions in six consecutive regular-season home matches.

This run has him tied for the longest streak in MLS history, alongside Zlatan Ibrahimovic for the LA Galaxy and Carlos Vela for Los Angeles FC, both in 2019. 

Messi's 17 goal contributions (10 goals, seven assists) during this run are the most by any player in a span of six home matches in league history.

Chicago Fire – Hugo Cuypers 

Cuypers scored his 17th goal of the 2025 regular season in Chicago's 2-0 win over the Crew last time out.

Only two players have ever netted more goals in a single campaign for the Fire, with Ante Razov scoring 18 times in 1999-00 and Nemanja Nikolic hitting the net 24 times in 2017-18.

MATCH PREDICTION – INTER MIAMI WIN

The Fire's win over Columbus last weekend took them to 48 points for the 2025 season. A win over Miami would now take Chicago over the 50-point mark for just the third time since winning the Supporters' Shield in 2003, following a 57-point campaign in 2012 and a 55-point haul in 2017.

Berhalter's team have shown major improvement this year, and they won their last away match 3-0 at Minnesota on September 30 to reach eight road victories for 2025.

That is their most in a single regular season in the post-shootout era (since 2000), but a meeting with Miami might prove a bridge too far.

Miami are unbeaten in three straight meetings with Chicago (two wins, one draw) after avoiding defeat in only two of their first six meetings (one win, one draw).

The Herons are unbeaten in their last four games, winning three of those, and with the Supporters' Shield still a realistic aim, they will be in no mood to drop more points.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Inter Miami – 60.2% 

Chicago Fire – 18.9%

Draw – 20.9%