Inter Miami may have set an MLS regular-season points record in 2024, but their unbalanced squad was exposed once the gritty postseason got underway.

Lionel Messi and Inter Miami suffered a shock elimination in the first round of the Major League Soccer (MLS) playoffs on Saturday, losing 3-2 to No. 9 seed Atlanta United on home soil in the best-of-three series decider.

With the loss, a season full of promise and championship expectations for Inter Miami has come to an end, and it will ultimately go down as a season where the club wasted a year of having Messi at their disposal. After the game, head coach Gerardo Martino kept it real when discussing Messi's future with the team.