Inter Miami Crumbles Under Pressure: Player Ratings Reveal Playoff Nightmares Against Nashville SC

Inter Miami let slip their opportunity to progress to the Eastern Conference semifinals, suffering a 2–1 defeat to Nashville SC on Saturday night.

The Herons had convincingly beaten B.J. Callaghan's team 3–1 at Chase Stadium the previous weekend. All Inter Miami required was to secure another win in Game 2 to claim their maiden MLS Cup playoff series victory.

However, two first-half strikes from Sam Surridge and Josh Bauer shocked the away team at GEODIS Park. Lionel Messi attempted to spark a fightback with a spectacular goal in the 89th minute, but Inter Miami ultimately couldn't break down Nashville's organized defensive display.

The Herons now face a strikingly familiar scenario to their brief 2024 postseason campaign. Inter Miami also claimed Game 1 victory last season before dropping Game 2 and Game 3 to exit the MLS Cup playoffs.

With Game 3 approaching next weekend, the onus is on Messi and his teammates to correct their 2024 mistakes and finally succeed in the playoffs.

Inter Miami Player Ratings vs. Nashville SC (4-4-2)

*Ratings Provided by FotMob*

GK: Rocco Ríos Novo—6.0: Committed a crucial error early in the contest that instantly disadvantaged his team, a deficit they couldn't recover from.

RB: Ian Fray—6.8: Claimed the most duels in the game, though with minimal impact to demonstrate.

CB: Maximiliano Falcón—7.3: Required De Paul's assistance to cover his position on multiple instances. Falcón appeared unsettled throughout.

CB: Noah Allen—6.3: Substituted at the break following an unconvincing first half. Allen completed zero tackles and made several errors in possession that endangered Inter Miami.

LB: Jordi Alba—7.0: A positive element for Inter Miami. Alba generated the most opportunities in the match and appeared threatening whenever he received the ball in attacking areas.

RM: Tadeo Allende—6.3: Wasteful finishing characterized his evening once more. Allende will regret his squandered close-range opportunity that might have changed the game's momentum.

CM: Rodrigo De Paul—7.6: Received minimal midfield assistance and virtually no counter-attacking support. De Paul couldn't deliver his finest performance due to covering for teammates.

CM: Sergio Busquets—7.3: Compelled to retreat and operate as a center-back for extended periods to assist his defensive line.

LM: Baltasar Rodríguez—6.1: Struggled to influence the contest. Rodríguez managed merely 10 passes and 18 touches across 54 minutes before departing with an apparent injury.

ST: Lionel Messi—7.6: Unusually subdued. Messi found himself dropping deep simply to receive possession. Beyond his late goal, the Argentine's moments of brilliance were neutralized by Nashville.

ST: Luis Suárez—6.4: Created opportunities but failed to convert in a disappointing display when the Herons needed him most.

Subs not used: Oscar Ustari (GK), Gonzalo Luján, Marcelo Weigandt, Tomás Avilés, Yannick Bright, Allen Obando, Fafà Picault.

Nashville SC (3-4-3)

Starting XI: Joe Willis; Jeisson Palacios, Walker Zimmerman, Josh Bauer; Andy Najar, Patrick Yazbek, Edvard Tagseth, Matthew Corcoran; Alex Muyl, Sam Surridge, Hany Mukhtar.

Subs used: Jacob Shaffelburg, Ahmed Qasem, Bryan Acosta, Teal Bunbury.

Inter Miami Player of the Match: Lionel Messi

Player of the Match: Josh Bauer (Nashville SC)

Nashville SC 2–1 Inter Miami—How It Developed at GEODIS Park

The Herons' control from Game 1 was absent from the opening whistle in Nashville. Inter Miami quickly found themselves under pressure in an intense, wet encounter at GEODIS Park.

Callaghan's team needed just six minutes to breach the visitors' defense. Surridge made a run beyond Inter Miami's high defensive line and was clear on goal when Rocco Ríos Novo brought him down in the penalty area with an awkward challenge.

An extended VAR examination confirmed the spot kick, and Surridge scored from the penalty spot to give Nashville a 1–0 advantage.

Can't start any better, @NashvilleSC!

Sam Surridge buries the penalty to open the scoring in Game Two.

📺 Apple TV: https://t.co/FYH8mmrG9k // Audi MLS Cup Playoffs pic.twitter.com/JMN22QELMm

Mascherano's squad settled into the match and appeared certain to score an equalizer in the 18th minute. Rodrigo De Paul delivered an excellent through pass to locate Luis Suárez, who smoothly rounded Nashville keeper Sam Willis before striking from a tight angle toward an open goal. However, the crossbar denied the Uruguayan.

Inter Miami and Nashville continued exchanging attacks, but both teams lacked the finishing touch needed to score until Bauer netted just before halftime. The defender, who featured for only four minutes in Game 1, capitalized on a defensive mix-up from the Herons to extend his team's lead.

ADVANTAGE DOUBLED. ⚡️

Josh Bauer slides it home for @NashvilleSC just before the break! // Audi MLS Cup Playoffs pic.twitter.com/SvRKtXRQ8R

Mascherano's team emerged from halftime focused on attacking. Inter Miami completely dominated Nashville in their own half, controlling the tempo at GEODIS Park without converting their pressure into goals.

Actually, the Herons required 66 minutes to register their first shot on target. Jordi Alba located Suárez with an excellent delivery from the left wing, but the striker's close-range attempt was saved by Willis.

The away side finally achieved their elusive breakthrough in stoppage time through their leader. Messi delivered another magical moment in pink, creating space in the penalty area to unleash a left-footed shot into the top corner.

NOT. OVER. YET.

Messi strikes to pull one back! // Audi MLS Cup Playoffs pic.twitter.com/o6vAOEvBAj

The strike, however, proved insufficient to inspire a comeback for Inter Miami.

Nashville SC vs. Inter Miami Halftime Stats

Nashville SC vs. Inter Miami Full Time Statistics