Lionel Messi made more MLS history this weekend with another brace, this time at the peril of Nashville SC.  Messi has tied “King Josef” Martinez’ MLS record for most goals in a 6 game span with 11.  Not only that, but Messi recorded his fifth(!) straight league game with a brace.  Inter Miami took the lead through a Messi free kick in the 17th minute, and would carry that into the break.  Nashville began the second half on the right foot, with their own personal GOAT, Hany Mukhtar, nodding the visitors level just after the break.  Messi found the winner in the 62nd minute after intercepting a pass from Nashville goalkeeper, Joe Willis— one he surely wishes he could have back.  Nashville pushed and pried for an equalizer but came up empty, leaving South Florida with nothing. Miami continue to close the gap on the top four teams in the East, just five points behind Philadelphia for the top spot with three games in hand. Nashville sit just two points behind first place, level on games with the Union.

Well, they’ve got arguably (maybe not arguably?) the best player to ever play the game, plus some of his best friends who shared all the glory with him for such a long time, so that’s one thing… but it doesn’t take much analysis for me to tell you that, so I’ll give you something else.  Miami’s spacing when they have the ball is extremely difficult to defend, and OBVIOUSLY it starts with Messi.  Teams have figured out by now (or at least they should have) that pressing all over the field and getting into a track meet with Messi and Co. isn’t the path to victory.  Problem is, when you do sit back and try to keep the game compact, Messi always finds space, and the chemistry he has built over years of playing with his current ex-Barcelona teammates pays dividends for them in MLS.  The following pattern happens over and over again for their “core 4” players and it seems to almost happen subconsciously.  Here you can see that when Busquets looks upfield for his next pass, Messi hasn’t even worked back from an offside position yet.  But he knows— he’s seen Busquets do this before, and it allows the holding midfielder to play a blind ball into Messi’s feet, who then sparks the attack out the other side. But wait! There’s more! The play recirculates to Messi at the top of the box and before the ball even gets to his foot, without Messi having to even make eye contact with either of them, Jordi Alba and Suarez have ran through the back line, expecting that Messi will spring them in on goal.  The pass doesn’t come off this time, but these patterns and a mutual understanding are paramount to Inter Miami’s success.  This one in particular seems simple, however it’s almost telekinetic the way they’re all on the same page all the time.

Well, there’s good news and there’s bad news.

Bad news first— You need the stars to have an off day.  Not allowing Inter Miami onto the scoresheet is no small task, in fact, it’s only happened twice in MLS league play this year.  We established that pressing high up the field isn’t a winning formula if you’re trying to take three points from them, but parking the bus isn’t the answer either.  If you go that route, surely it’ll be death by a thousand cuts and eventually, you’ll have to find some luck and some big plays in your defensive box.  OH! And even if you are successful doing that, better hope Messi doesn’t get many free kick shooting opportunities.

Here’s the good news: They’re so vulnerable in defensive transition.  Teams that have had success over Inter Miami have lowered their line of confrontation to somewhere +/- 10 yards from midfield, forced Miami’s defenders to try and find their attackers, picked off sloppy passes (of which there are plenty), and punished Miami in transition.  They’re not great at defending runs in behind the back line nor are they comfortable defending running back towards their own goal.  If you can capitalize on your transition opportunities and minimize Messi’s ability to make magic, it’s more than possible.

Nashville has gone through a complete identity overhaul since BJ Callaghan took the reins at the end of last season.  While much of the core personnel has remained the same, Nashville has added some really nice pieces to the roster that have helped with the transition.  Andy Najar has been extremely influential in Nashville’s new style and Patrick Yazbek has emerged as a steady midfielder in his second season with the club.  Under previous coach Gary Smith, Nashville were very direct, relying on Teal Bunbury and Sam Surridge to win balls high up the field and let former MVP Hany Mukhtar pick up seconds and make the game from there.  Since the coaching chance in late 2024, BJ Callaghan has turned them into a well rounded team, adding the confidence and comfort to build more out of the back and play out of tight spaces while also having the ability to change the pace and play direct.  Versatile midfielders Ahmed Qasem and Edvard Tagseth are comfortable playing in between lines and stretching the field, giving them the option to change strategy on the fly and keep teams honest and guessing.  Toss in Alex Muyl and Jacob Shaffelburg off the bench (both of whom have started and contributed for successful Nashville teams in the past) and there’s no question they can vie for an Eastern Conference Finals run.  As in past years, they’ll only go as far as Hany Mukhtar and Sam Surridge will take them, but the possibility looms that could be farther than ever before.