Nashville forces decisive Game 3 vs. Messi and Inter Miami

Lionel Messi and Inter Miami will play a decisive Game 3 in the first round of the MLS Cup playoffs against Nashville SC.

Messi scored a goal in the 90th minute to make the final minutes interesting, but Inter Miami fell 2-1 to Nashville in Game 2 at GEODIS Park on Saturday, Nov. 1.

Sam Surridge scored a penalty in the opening minutes and Josh Bauer added another just before halftime to extend the series.

Game 3, and a chance to advance to the conference semifinals, will be Nov. 8 at Inter Miami’s Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

“We have to swallow the anger, build it up throughout the whole week so we can unleash it next Saturday,” Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano said after the loss.

While Messi was able to score twice in Game 1 on Oct. 24, and had a hat trick against Nashville in the regular-season finale on Oct. 18, he was unable to make his presence felt until he fired a left boot into the upper right corner of the net before six minutes of stoppage time were added to the match.

He missed a shot in the 86th minute, kicking into the hands of Nashville goalkeeper Joe Willis. His free kick in the 85th minute collided into a wall of defenders as he led Inter Miami’s push to come back in the final minutes.

Luis Suarez missed an opportunity to score in the 66th minute, while Inter Miami was unable to convert its best chance to score in the match in the first half.

Tadeo Allende could not finish directly in front of the net after a stellar setup from Jordi Alba and Messi in the 33rd minute. Allende may have been pulled by Nashville’s Bauer, but there was no penalty called.

“We weren’t clinical enough in front of goal, but that can happen,” Mascherano said. “Normally, we’re a team that converts our chances fairly effectively. Today, it wasn’t the case.”

Surridge, who is a 2025 MLS MVP finalist like Messi, scored a penalty kick in the 9th minute to give Nashville a 1-0 lead. He was tripped inside the penalty area by Inter Miami goalkeeper Rocco Ríos Novo, leading to the opportunity.

Bauer scored after a corner kick, tripping and falling to his side before finding the back of the net in the 45th minute to help Nashville break a streak of 10 consecutive matches without a victory against Inter Miami.

“We’ve left everything out on the field,” Nashville coach B.J. Callaghan told Apple TV after the game. “I’m glad the guys rose to the occasion.”

Inter Miami finds itself in the same situation they faced last season, needing Game 3 to secure their first playoff series win in franchise history.

Inter Miami was eliminated in the first round of the MLS Cup playoffs last season by Atlanta United, winning Game 1 before dropping the last two matches in the series.

USA TODAY Sports provided live updates and highlights from the Nashville-Inter Miami match:

Inter Miami vs. Nashville highlights

Nashville 2, Inter Miami 1: Messi scores goal (90′)

Messi scored a goal in the 90th minute, but it may be too late for Inter Miami.

Messi fired a left boot into the upper right corner of the net. There’s only six minutes of extra time added.

Nashville 2, Inter Miami 0: Messi misses free kick, shot in front of net (86′)

Messi missed a shot in the 86th minute, kicking it right to Nashville goalie Joe Willis. His free kick a minute earlier also collided into a wall of defenders.

Nashville 2, Inter Miami 0: Surridge misses shot (73′)

Nashville’s San Surridge missed a shot in the 73rd minute, shortly after it appeared Hany Mukhtar was fouled by Inter Miami’s Maxi Falcon.

Nashville 2, Inter Miami 0: Inter Miami avoids penalty (68′)

Inter Miami’s Tadeo Segovia collided into Nashville’s Sam Surridge, but there was no penalty called after VAR.

Nashville 2, Inter Miami 0: Luis Suarez misses in front of net (66′)

Inter Miami’s Luis Suarez had his shot saved by Nashville goalkeeper Joe Willis in the 66th minute. It’s the first save of the game for Willis, which shows how few opportunities Messi and Inter Miami have had in this match.

Nashville 2, Inter Miami 0: Sam Surridge misses shot (51′)

Surridge’s strike in the 51st minute slowly soared into the stands, in Nashville’s first shot of the second half.  

Nashville 2, Inter Miami 0: Second half is underway

Nashville 2, Inter Miami 0: Josh Bauer scores goal (45′)

Nashville’s Josh Bauer scored a goal just before halftime after a corner kick to double the lead against Inter Miami. Bauer tripped during the sequence, but still was able to score while laying on his side.

Nashville 1, Inter Miami 0: Hany Mukhtar misses shot (39′)

Nashville’s Hany Mukhtar fired a strike toward the net, but it was saved by Inter Miami goalkeeper Rocco Ríos Novo in the 39th minute.

Nashville 1, Inter Miami 0: Tadeo Allende misses shot in front of net (33′)

Inter Miami’s Tadeo Allende missed a shot right in front of the net after a stellar setup from Jordi Alba and Messi in the 33rd minute. Allende may have been pulled by Nashville’s Josh Bauer, but there was no penalty called.

Nashville 1, Inter Miami 0: Messi’s shot blocked (27′)

Messi’s left boot from outside the box was blocked by Nashville’s Patrick Yazbek in the 27th minute.

Nashville 1, Inter Miami 0: Luis Suarez off the post (19′)

Inter Miami’s Luis Suarez had his shot hit the left post in the 19th minute.

Nashville 1, Inter Miami 0: Alex Muyl misses shot (17′)

Nashville’s Alex Muyl had his shot deflected off Inter Miami defender Maxi Falcon, and barely floated over the crossbar in the 17th minute.

Nashville 1, Inter Miami 0: Messi misses shot toward goal (14′)

Messi missed a shot in the 14th minute after a sequence where he found Luis Suarez in the box.

Nashville 1, Inter Miami 0: Sam Surridge scores penalty (9′)

Nashville’s Sam Surridge scored a penalty in the 9th minute to help his side take an early 1-0 lead against Inter Miami.

The play resulted from a penalty where Surridge was tripped inside the penalty area by Inter Miami goalkeeper Rocco Ríos Novo while making a charge toward the ball in the 7th minute.

Inter Miami 0, Nashville 0: Early yellow card for Nashville (4′)

Nashville’s Edvard Tagseth picks up a yellow card for a late kick of the ball toward Inter Miami’s Ian Fray, who was tripped up.

Inter Miami 0, Nashville 0: Match has begun (0′)

It’s going to be a rainy contest in Nashville, with the game about to begin.

Messi warms up with Luis Suarez before the game

Nashville’s Sam Surridge warms up

Sam Surridge, who finished second in the Golden Boot race behind Messi, warms up before tonight’s match.

Messi, Inter Miami arrive to Nashville for match

What time is the Nashville vs Inter Miami match?

The match begins at 7:30 p.m. ET (6:30 p.m. in Nashville, 8:30 p.m. in Argentina) at GEODIS Park in Nashville.

How to watch Nashville vs Inter Miami on TV, live stream link?

The match will be available to watch on MLS Season Pass via Apple TV.

Is Messi playing today? Inter Miami vs. Nashville starting lineups

Yes, Messi was announced as a starter in Inter Miami’s starting lineup, an hour before the match.

What to know about Inter Miami vs Nashville

It’ll be their third time facing each other in as many weeks: Messi had a hat trick with an assist in a 5-2 win on the final day of the regular season in Nashville on Oct. 18, then scored two goals with an assist in a 3-1 win in Game 1 at Inter Miami’s Chase Stadium on Oct. 24.

Overall, Inter Miami has not dropped any of its last 10 matches against Nashville.

‘We know despite having had two positive results against them in the last two weekends, we have to understand that Nashville has put us in many difficult moments,’ Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano said of Nashville before practice on Friday, Oct 31. ‘We’ve dealt with it well, but they’ll surely put us in a difficult moment again. We have to be prepared for that.’

Nashville hopes to bounce back

Nashville, which won the 2025 U.S. Open Cup, is led by MVP finalist Sam Surridge, and 2022 MLS MVP Hany Mukhtar. They’ve won 14 of 20 matches across all competitions at their home stadium, and hope to extend the series against Inter Miami.

‘They’re a really good team,’ Nashville coach B.J. Callaghan said of Inter Miami on Friday, Oct 31. ‘They’ve challenged us in different ways, and I think we’ve been able to spend this week learning some things from the last game, improving some areas, and focusing on what we do well.’

Mukhtar scored in Game 1 of the series, while Surridge and Jacob Shaffelburg scored in the regular-season finale against Inter Miami.

Messi, Inter Miami stars to appear on Tik Tok Player Spotlight

Inter Miami’s Messi, Luis Suarez, Rodrigo De Paul, Serigo Busquets and Jordi Alba will be featured on TikTok live dedicated live stream during Game 2 in Nashville.

Messi joins Luis Suarez on Watch Party live stream before Nashville game

Messi and Rodrigo De Paul joined Luis Suarez on a live stream of a Uruguayan soccer match between Deportivo LSM against Montevideo Boca Juniors before Game 2 in Nashville. Suarez and Messi started the Deportivo LSM club earlier this year.

Inter Miami, MLS Cup playoff schedule

• Nov. 8: Game 3 at Inter Miami, Time TBD (if necessary)
• Nov. 10-18: FIFA international window
• Nov. 22-23: Conference semifinals
• Nov. 29-30: Conference finals
• Dec. 6: MLS Cup Final