Inter Miami midfielder Rodrigo de Paul (7) and forwards Lionel Messi (10) and Luis Suárez (9) arrive to Chase Stadium before their MLS Eastern Conference final match against New York City FC on Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
mocner@miamiherald.com
A spot in the MLS Cup final was on the line, so it came as little surprise that Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano went with the same starting lineup against New York City FC on Saturday that worked so well in back-to-back playoff routs of Nashville and FC Cincinnati.
Uruguayan 38-year-old legend Luis Suarez remained on the bench for the Eastern Conference Final at Chase Stadium, replaced by the speedy and confident 19-year-old Argentine Mateo Silvetti, who comes from Messi’s hometown of Rosario and changed the dynamic of Miami’s offense in the previous two games.
Having Silvetti and Tadeo Allende flanking Messi gave the team more options in the final third, and that proved true again on Saturday.
Allende, coming off back-to-back braces, scored another pair of goals in the first 23 minutes to give Inter Miami a 2-0 lead.
The first came at the 14-minute mark, a right-footed bullet of a shot from the right side of the box. Allende received a long pass from Sergio Busquets and then outmuscled NYC defender Raul Gustavo to get in position for the shot.
The stadium erupted as Silvetti, Busquets, Messi and Baltasar Rodriguez ran over to celebrate with Allende.
Things got testy shortly thereafter. New York’s Argentine No. 10 Maxi Moralez was issued a yellow card after a hard foul on Miami’s Maxi Falcon. Moralez got into a heated argument with Inter Miami players Marcelo Weigandt, Rodrigo De Paul, and Jordi Alba. Weigandt was shown a yellow card in the 22nd minute.
One minute later, while tempers were finally settling down, Allende scored his second goal of the night, a header off a cross from Alba.
Allende struggled earlier in the season and was criticized for missing what looked like easy scoring chances. But he is making up for it in the post-season with a trio of braces and seven goals in five games.
Justin Haak got New York City back into the game in the 37th minute with a header from the center of the box after a cross from Moralez following a free kick. The score remained 2-1 at halftime.
The rest of the Inter Miami starters on a windy Saturday night were Rocco Rios Novo at goalkeeper; Marcelo Weigandt, Maxi Falcon, Noah Allen and Jordi Alba in defense; Sergio Busquets, Rodrigo De Paul, Baltasar Rodriguez, in midfield; and Lionel Messi and Tadeo Allende as strikers.
New York’s Starting XI included: Matt Freese, Thiago Martins, Kevin O’Toole, Trayvon Gray, Gustavo, Haak, Moralez, Aiden O’Neill, Jonathan Shore, Nico Fernandez and Agustin Ojeda. Their coach, Pascal Jansen, assured in the leadup to the game that their team would not just rely on its strong defense against Miami, but had the offensive tools to be a threat.
New York City FC head coach Pascal Jansen arrives to Chase Stadium before his MLS Eastern Conference final match against Inter Miami on Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Photo by Matias J. Ocner mocner@miamiherald.com
There was a palpable playoff energy in the building as pink fireworks filled the air at the opening whistle. The crowd included 19 members of the U.S. Women’s National Team, which is playing a friendly against Italy at Chase Stadium on Monday night.
“I feel like it’s so clear just seeing the draw that he, alone, gets in whatever market he goes to, everyone wants to see him,” said U.S. midfielder Sam Coffey said of Messi’s influence on soccer in America.
“Just having that excitement, especially going into the men’s World Cup next year, and then ours, building that passion for the game in the U.S. is so key and he’s obviously a fundamental part of that. So, we’re really excited to watch him play.”
Messi was on fire heading into the game with six goals and six assists through four playoff matches. Miami has reached peak form the past two weeks, knocking off dangerous Nashville SC and FC Cincinnati by identical 4-0 scorelines.
Messi and his teammates scored a league-high 81 goals during the regular season and finally, the defense, which had been vulnerable in transition, tightened up to match the team’s potent attack.
New York, meanwhile, is the only team that won three playoff games on the road.
NYCFC knocked Charlotte off on the road in two of three first-round games and edged Supporters Shield winner Philadelphia Union 1-0 on the road in the Eastern Conference Semifinal last weekend despite injuries to top scorer Alonso Martínez, who injured his knee while with the Costa Rican national team earlier this month, and midfielder Andrés Perea.
NYCFC lost just one of its past nine road games dating to July.
“We’ve competed well so far, but we haven’t achieved anything yet,” Mascherano told reporters Friday morning. “We have to understand that even though we earned home field advantage, Saturday’s game will be very difficult.
“We’re facing an opponent that’s earned the right to be the Conference Final, an opponent that’s won three playoff games on the road, the only team to do that. Our mentality and our vision in this next game is we must go for it from the opening minute, the way we did against Nashville and Cincinnati.”
The last time the teams played on Sept. 24 at Citi Field in New York, Inter Miami won 4-0 and clinched a playoff spot.
Messi scored twice in that game, Baltasar Rodriguez scored, and Suarez scored on a penalty kick. Three of the Miami goals were scored in the span of 12 minutes late in the game. NYCFC missed two golden opportunities to take the lead in the first half.
The winner of Saturday’s game faces Vancouver Whitecaps or San Diego FC on Dec. 6 in the MLS Cup final. If Miami advances, the final will be in Fort Lauderdale because Inter Miami earned the most points in the Supporters Shield standings.
This story was originally published November 29, 2025 at 7:02 PM.
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Michelle Kaufman
Miami Herald
Miami Herald sportswriter Michelle Kaufman has covered 14 Olympics, six World Cups, Wimbledon, U.S. Open, NCAA Basketball Tournaments, NBA Playoffs, Super Bowls and has been the soccer writer and University of Miami basketball beat writer for 25 years. She was born in Frederick, Md., and grew up in Miami.
