Where is Messi’s Inter Miami in the MLS standings after the defeat against Atlanta?

The Florida team failed to pick up at least a point for the first time since the arrival of its new stars and left Mercedes-Benz Stadium beaten.

Calum RocheEnglish_ASVíctor MartínUpdate: Sep 17th, 2023 08:23 EDT

KEVIN C. COXAFP

Despite the Lionel Messi led revolution, Inter Miami is confronted with a challenging task to secure a place in the Eastern Conference Playoffs. The team, led by ‘Tata’ Martino, found itself at the bottom of the table just a few weeks ago when the championship resumed, but the upturn in performances, results and overall optimism were hit after the unbeaten run was finally ended against Atlanta United.

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The Georgia-based team inflicted a heavy defeat, the match ending 5-2 in a highly entertaining encounter where the absence of Messi and Jordi Alba took its toll on the visiting side. Consequently, Miami’s unbeaten streak comes to an end, along with a decent opportunity to climb up the standings.

How Inter Miami sit in Eastern Conference standings

Miami remain in fourteenth position for another matchday, meaning they are second to last in their conference, and seven points adrift of the playoff spots, although they have played one or two fewer games than some of those above them.

This further elevates the level of challenge facing a team with a demanding schedule, filled with matches that, starting from today, are akin to individual finals. And amidst all the current challenges posed by the MLS, Messi has the chance to add more silverware to his burgeoning home display, with the team’s second final of the season on 27 September, where they will face Houston Dynamo in pursuit of claiming the US Open Cup.

Eastern Conference table

#	Team	Played	Points
1	Cincinnati	28	58
2	Orlando City	28	50
3	New England Revolution	28	48
4	Philadelphia Union	27	47
5	Columbus Crew	28	45
6	Atlanta United	29	45
7	Nashville S.C.	27	40
8	C.F. Montreal	28	36
9	D.C. United	29	35
10	Chicago Fire	28	33
11	Charlotte	27	32
12	New York City	29	31
13	New York Red Bulls	28	30
14	Inter Miami	27	28
15	Toronto	28	22

What are Inter Miami’s upcoming games?

September

16th: Atlanta United – Inter Miami (17:00 ET)

21st: Inter Miami – Toronto F.C. (19:30 ET)

25th: Orlando City – Inter Miami (19:30 ET)

27th: Inter Miami – Houston Dynamo (20:30 ET) | US Open Cup Final

October

1st: Inter Miami – New York City (19:30 ET)

5th: Chicago Fire – Inter Miami (20:30 ET)