Kaufman: What went wrong with Inter Miami? Why did Messi’s team fall so short of expectations? | Opinion

And so, the MLS playoffs will carry on without top-seeded Inter Miami, the most-hyped and highest-paid team in league history, the team with the greatest-ever regular season record, the team led by Argentine icon Lionel Messi, arguably the best player of all time.

Messi is back in South America this week with the Argentine national team, preparing for a World Cup qualifying match Thursday at Paraguay, while MLS and Apple TV executives try their darnedest to drum up interest in a postseason show that just lost its biggest headliner and moneymaker.

Meanwhile, we are left to wonder: How did Inter Miami, with a star-studded roster, far superior record and home field advantage, lose a three-game series to an Atlanta United team that struggled all season, finished in ninth place and squeaked into the playoffs as a wild card?

Inter Miami scored 79 goals during the regular season while Atlanta scored 46. Miami had 22 wins. Atlanta had just 10.

How did Messi’s team, with just four losses during the 34-game regular season, lose back-to-back games to Atlanta in the span of a week?

And then there’s the bigger picture question: Although the Supporters’ Shield for best record is proudly displayed in Inter Miami’s trophy cabinet, and FIFA awarded the team a coveted spot in the 2025 Club World Cup, can Miami really be considered the best team in the league after a first-round exit from the playoffs?

Let’s start by tackling the first question. Miami lost partly because 40-year-old Atlanta goalkeeper Brad Guzan was brilliant, making seven saves in the decisive game and numerous spectacular stops throughout the series, including a few on Messi shots that normally go in.

Guzan managed to outshine Miami’s many stars.

On the other end of the field, defensive lapses, particularly on counter attacks, were also to blame.

Coach Tata Martino is known for employing a possession style and high-octane attack, which is entertaining to watch and resulted in a league-high 79 goals. But that can also be high risk because it leaves the team vulnerable when the attackers don’t race back to defend open spaces.

It was a gamble Martino was willing to take because the team was so likely to outscore its opponents, and the strategy almost always worked.

But Miami’s defense lacked stability, and a string of injuries to the back line didn’t help. Martino seemed to find a reliable solution by having Sergio Busquets, one of the best defensive midfielders of all time, play deeper to allow rookie Yannick Bright to race around, disrupt opponents and make smart passes into the attack.

Busquets and Bright didn’t get as many headlines as Messi and Luis Suarez, but they were key to Inter Miami’s success. In fact, the only playoff game Miami won, Game 1, was the one where Busquets and Bright played 90 minutes.

A contusion to his midsection during Game 1 caused Busquets to miss Game 2 and he was not cleared to play Game 3 until Friday afternoon. He had not trained in two weeks and remained on the bench until the 78^th minute on Saturday.

Bright, meanwhile, left Game 2 at halftime with a hamstring injury and Inter Miami leading 1-0. Both of Atlanta’s goals in the 2-1 win were scored after Bright left the game.

Despite the absence of Bright and Busquets in the Game 3 starting lineup, Martino opted to go with an extra attacker in Matias Rojas, who had impressed in recent practices. It looked like a smart move, as Rojas scored early, but Atlanta countered, Jamal Thiare scored a pair of goals over the next three minutes and even a Messi equalizer wasn’t enough to keep Miami alive.

We can argue forever whether the ref should have blown the whistle with Miami defender Tomas Avilas down while Bartosz Slisz headed home the winner. Miami could have prevented that goal and didn’t.

Stunned and heartbroken, Inter Miami fans quietly streamed out of Chase Stadium on Saturday night as Atlanta players celebrated. This was not the ending the home team or its fans expected.

The year began with a 24,000-mile, five country world tour. Miami won only one of six games and had to endure a PR nightmare in Hong Kong when 40,000 fans booed and demanded refunds after realizing Messi, ruled out due to injury, would not play.

Despite the grueling travel, minor injuries to Messi, Suarez and Busquets, and Hong Kong controversy, Inter Miami pulled things together by the start of the MLS season and by summer was dominating, with and without Messi.

Miami was clearly the best team in the league heading into the playoffs, but without an MLS Cup to show for it, the season will be remembered as a failure.

From a business perspective, 2024 was a rousing success for Inter Miami. Its retro aqua-and-orange third kit became the fastest-selling in MLSstore.com history. Messi ranks No. 1 on the list of top-selling MLS jerseys and No. 1 globally for adidas jersey sales. Most of the biggest MLS crowds this season were for games involving Inter Miami.

Inter Miami became the most followed North American sports team on TikTok (9.4 million followers).

But there is no trophy for top brand.

Left back Jordi Alba says a playoff system is an unfair way to crown a season champion. In other leagues around the world, the team that finishes atop the standings wins the title. He suggested the leader of the Eastern Conference should play the leader of the Western Conference in a championship game or series.

It’s a good idea. A 10-month season is too long, anyway. Have East play West and be done with it. But that’s not how we do it here. We do playoffs. The best teams don’t always win.