Will Inter Miami's CWC form translate to MLS, Leagues Cup success? | OneFootball

And now, back to our regularly scheduled season...

Inter Miami CF ended May on a three-match undefeated mini-streak in Major League Soccer -- breaking a slump during which it won just once in eight matches -- climbing to third place in the Eastern Conference. But while the Herons, Los Angeles FC and the Seattle Sounders tested themselves against world-class competition at the Club World Cup, MLS continued to play.

As Los Garzas (8-3-5, 29 points) return to domestic competition, they find themselves down to sixth in the East, 11 points behind league-leading Philadelphia and four behind fifth-place Orlando City. Inter Miami and the New York Red Bulls each have 29 points, but the Herons lead courtesy of their 9-8 edge in goal differential.

The Chicago Fire and New York City FC, both with 28 points, are chasing Miami and the Red Bulls for the final two guaranteed playoff spots. The top seven teams in each conference qualify for the MLS Cup playoffs, while the eighth- and ninth-place clubs meet in a "play-in" match to decide the brackets' eighth seeds.

The good news: Inter Miami has played just 16 league matches. Every team ahead of them has played 20, as have the Red Bulls; NYCFC and the Fire each have played 19. The Herons have games in hand, giving them a real chance of moving higher in the standings over the season's second half.

The bad news: to catch up after missing a month, Inter Miami's league schedule is ... compact. The Pink play six league matches in July before beginning the Liga MX/MLS Leagues Cup group stage against Atlas on July 30, and at least 21 matches (three in Leagues Cup) by Oct. 18. That's a match every five days in the most miserably hot stretch of North American summer. And that doesn't consider the possibility of the Herons making a run at the Leagues Cup, which could add as many as three more matches to an already packed slate.

One of these things is not like the other

It seems counterintuitive, but Lionel Messi and Inter Miami's Herons looked a much better team in the FIFA Club World Cup than it had earlier this year against far less talented teams in Major League Soccer.

When Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique called off the press and subbed out his starters, the Pink & Black began to show (some) quality in attack against the European champions. Realistically, Inter Miami never had a chance to beat the in-form European champions.

And that's OK. Most supporters didn't expect Miami to make it out of the group stage; MLS didn't expect its teams to advance, scheduling them to play the first weekend after the group stage, while the CWC's knockout rounds were just getting started (Inter Miami had to reschedule a home match against Atlanta to Oct. 11 in order to play PSG).

After looking shell-shocked in the first half against Egyptian champions Al-Ahly, the Herons played inspired and inspiring football, organized and (mostly) focused on defense, free-flowing and dangerous in attack...a truly beautiful display. But can Miami replicate that quality against CF Montreal (their opponent this weekend) or, say, the Red Bulls?

My guess is, "No." I hope I'm wrong, but here's the thing: Miami's Club World Cup opponents boasted deeper, more talented rosters. They didn't change their style of play to smother Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez in the penalty box, confident their players were more than capable of denying the superstars' supporting cast (Zlatan Ibrahimovic, another former Messi teammate, agreed). Both teams possessed the ball, pushed forward and attacked in fluid, exciting football, trusting defenders and keepers to protect their own goal. But that's not how MLS teams have found success against Miami so far in 2025.