Preview: Inter Miami take on the Revolution
Lionel Messi is still in line to finish as the top scorer in Major League Soccer as Inter Miami face New England Revolution on Saturday night.
By James Nalton
The team’s chances of retaining their Supporters’ Shield are becoming increasingly slim, though, after they failed to pick up a win in their last two games.
The story of the season
Inter Miami’s 5-3 defeat at home to Chicago on Tuesday summed up their 2025 season in MLS.
On one side, the defensive performance was terrible, but Luis Suárez scored a second-half brace to make sure they stayed in the game.
The defence never sorted itself out, though, and Chicago scored two late goals to reach their own aim for the season, while Miami’s remain in the balance.
Chicago were fired up for the game in Fort Lauderdale as they knew a win would secure their own place in the 2025 postseason.
Achieving such a feat away at Inter Miami would make people sit up and take notice, and to some extent, that is what happened.
But much of the focus remained on Miami’s defeat, and there were more of the same weaknesses that have been seen all season.
Just when it looked like they were about to put a good run together ahead of the playoffs, looking like they could catch Philadelphia Union at the top of the table, they fell apart.
They will still be expected to defeat New England Revolution this weekend, but the Union might now be more worried about the challenge from FC Cincinnati and Vancouver Whitecaps than the one from Miami.
Individual awards still in play
Lionel Messi still leads the goalscoring charts in MLS with 24. He’s one ahead of Los Angeles FC’s Denis Bouanga, whose performances have been boosted by the arrival of new teammate Son Heung-min, and two ahead of Nashville’s Sam Surridge, who helped his team lift the US Open Cup in midweek with the match-winner from the penalty spot.
Inter Miami had finalists in six of the major awards last year in MLS, but that’s unlikely to be the case in 2025.
Arguably, only Messi has stood out, but he has done so to such an extent that he might still be the favourite to win the MVP award, as he did in 2024.
While these last three games, against New England, Atlanta United, and Nashville SC, might not be enough to win Miami the Supporters’ Shield, they could still be enough to see Messi walk away with the Golden Boot and MVP awards.
At the end of this game against New England, the club will also celebrate the career of Sergio Busquets, who recently announced he will retire at the end of the season, with a special tribute.
Opposition watch: New England Revolution
New England have little left to play for, having already missed their chance to reach the playoffs this season.
They have only won nine of their 32 MLS games in 2025, but one of these victories came in their last game, against Atlanta United, which they won 2-0.
As a result of their failure to reach the postseason, they sacked head coach Caleb Porter last month, with his assistant Pablo Moreira taking over on an interim basis until the end of the season.
In Carles Gil, once of Aston Villa, the Revolution still have one of the league’s best creative players.
Gil is second in the league for chances created with 94, and third in MLS for expected assists (11).
Prediction
Inter Miami should return to winning ways with a convincing scoreline.
(Cover Image from IMAGO)
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