Inter Miami can clinch a playoff spot Saturday with eight games to spare. Here’s how

Last year, Inter Miami did not even qualify for the MLS Cup playoffs. This year, the team could clinch a playoff spot with eight games to spare by beating FC Cincinnati at home on Saturday night.

The MLS season resumes Saturday after a month long break for the Leagues Cup tournament, and Miami kicks off the final stretch highly motivated to avenge a humiliating 6-1 July road loss to Cincinnati.

That was Miami’s most lopsided loss of the season and the first time in club history the team conceded six goals. Inter Miami played with a depleted roster that night, as six starters were missing: Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Jordi Alba, Diego Gomez, Matias Rojas and Tomas Aviles.

A victory Saturday (7:30 p.m., Apple TV) would secure a playoff berth for Miami with 56 points on 17 wins, four losses and five ties and would tie the 2023 Cincinnati team as third quickest in league history to reach the playoffs. After a long unbeaten streak in early summer, Miami has lost two of its past three games, both in Leagues Cup -- 2-1 to Mexican team Tigres in the group stage and 3-2 to the Columbus Crew in the Round of 16.

“We want to bounce back, get back to winning ways, for us and the fans and our momentum,” said Miami defender Noah Allen. “Cincinnati is a very strong, organized and compact team; but we beat them before. We had a bad time last outing and they’re coming here, and we’re trying to redeem ourselves.”

Inter Miami could also clinch a playoff spot Saturday with any of these scenarios: a Toronto FC loss or tie at Houston Dynamo; an Inter Miami tie and Atlanta United loss or tie against the L.A. Galaxy on the road; an Inter Miami tie and an Orlando City loss or tie at Kansas City; an Inter Miami tie and a Charlotte FC loss or tie at home against the New York Red Bulls; an Inter Miami tie and a New England Revolution loss at home against Montreal.

In other words, it is safe to assume Inter Miami will make the playoffs this season, with plenty of breathing room.

It is an entirely different scenario than where the team was last August. Despite the addition of Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba last July and a Leagues Cup title run, Inter Miami could not climb out of its early-season hole in the MLS standings. The team finished well out of playoff range, in 14^th place in the East with 34 points and a 9-18-7 record.

Messi got injured early last September while with the Argentine national team and missed seven of Inter Miami’s final 10 games. Jordi Alba also missed games due to an injury during that stretch and Miami went winless the final seven games of the season.

This season, the team has also had to deal with injuries to its captain but has managed to overcome his absence so far. Messi remains out indefinitely with an ankle injury he sustained during Argentina’s Copa America final against Colombia July 14 at Hard Rock Stadium.

Messi has not played since that day and as of Wednesday had not returned to practice. He has missed 11 games in a row since June 1, five while playing for Argentina in Copa America and six due to the injury.

He wore a protective boot for a few weeks after the injury, shed that about two weeks ago, and has been working out in the gym with team trainers.

Typically, injured players who are ready to resume field practice require at least one week, often more, working one-on-one with a trainer before joining group workouts. It can be another week before they participate in contact drills. Inter Miami coach Tata Martino said last week that he did not have an estimate for Messi’s return.

Messi was left off the Argentina roster for upcoming World Cup qualifying matches Sept. 5 against Chile in Buenos Aires and Sept. 10 against Colombia in Barranquilla.

Despite his absence, Messi still has a major impact on the team, Allen said.

“He’s around, we see him every day, say `Hi,’” Allen said. “He definitely has an influence. Talks to a lot of guys. We see him talking in the gym. He watches us train. He stays around with us in the (practice) facility and comes to all the home games. I know he’s progressing really well and that soon he’ll be back.”

Tickets for the Inter Miami vs. Cincinnati game Saturday are available on Ticketmaster.