It's gonna get Messi: 2024 MLS Playoffs preview, Eastern Conference edition

In the first of two previews, we look at the best-of-three series in the East now that Atlanta's bested Montreal for a shot at Inter Miami.

In the final match of the 2024 regular season, with Inter Miami CF vying for the all-time MLS points record in a 34-game season, Lionel Messi got on the field at about the hour mark.

Within his first minute on the field, he was instrumental in the play engineer Benjamin Cremaschi’s go-ahead goal. Then, in an 11 minute span between minutes 78 and 89, Messi scored a hat trick. A tense 2-2 match against the New England Revolution — ostensibly defending the points record it won just three years ago — turned into a 6-2 blowout, followed by a celebration on a stage wheeled onto the field for winning the Supporters’ Shield.

That’s what the rest of the East has to contend with starting on Friday night.

Miami is more than just Messi, of course — the legend only played 1485 regular-season minutes in 2024, with other stars like Luis Suarez and Sergio Busquets helping the Herons to a 22-4-8 record. But Messi scored 20 goals and added 16 assists in his abbreviated time on the field, which works out to a goal contribution every 41.25 minutes.

By virtue of winning a play-in game it very nearly lost on Tuesday night, Atlanta United gets to be the first team to try to stop what appears to be a pink and black bullet train to MLS Cup. Other teams will have something to say, of course, but certainly a certain someone in New York would love to see Messi and Co. go as far as they can.

Here’s a preview of what the East’s first round — a best-of-three series guaranteeing each team gets a home playoff match, maybe not the best idea — holds.

This guy’s pretty good (Ringo Chiu/Shutterstock)