FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Lionel Messi's first MLS Cup playoff match with Inter Miami will be on Oct. 25. And it'll be aired live on a massive screen spanning an entire block of New York's Times Square.
Major League Soccer announced Thursday that Inter Miami's opener will be the lone playoff match played on that Friday night, with an 8:30 p.m. Eastern start time. It's a slight adjustment to the MLS Cup schedule; original plans called for the playoffs to begin on Oct. 26.
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Inter Miami clinched the MLS Supporters Shield — given to the league's best regular season team — on Wednesday night with a 3-2 win at Columbus. With the No. 1 overall seed, Inter Miami also has home-field advantage throughout the playoffs and would play host to the MLS Cup final on Dec. 7 if it makes it.
“We have a significant advantage since we’ll be playing all our matches at home, which is what we were aiming for,” Messi said. “I think we are very strong at home. ... I believe that being at home gives us a great advantage, and now we just have to prove it.”
The Supporters Shield was Messi's 46th trophy won for his various clubs or while playing for Argentina, extending his record. Inter Miami won the Leagues Cup last season in Messi's first year with the club, but did not qualify for the MLS playoffs.
MLS also announced there will be some different broadcast elements for Inter Miami's playoff opener. Apple TV will make the match available to its customers, regardless of whether they have an MLS Season Pass subscription or not. And the match will be shown live on a 25,000-square-foot digital television display screen on Broadway between 45th and 46th streets in New York's Times Square.
Inter Miami will open the playoffs in a best-of-three series against the winner of the Eastern Conference's wild-card match, which will be played on Oct. 22. The full MLS Cup playoff bracket won't be set until Oct. 19, the final day of the league's regular season.
Playing the match on Friday night in Fort Lauderdale also avoids the potential for conflict with other significant sporting events in South Florida that weekend.
Miami and Florida State renew their annual college football rivalry on Oct. 26. Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa — currently sidelined while dealing with the aftereffects of a concussion — will be eligible to return from injured reserve for his team's game against Arizona on Oct. 27. And NASCAR has a playoff race at Homestead-Miami Speedway that weekend as well.
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