By Official Florida FC

Major League Soccer’s best attack during the 2024 regular season did not need long to launch once the postseason arrived. Luis Suarez scored 88 seconds into Inter Miami’s MLS Cup Playoff contest against Atlanta United on Friday night in Fort Lauderdale.

The Herons won 2-1 in a match that was not as close as the score line indicated.

Inter Miami leads the best-of-three series 1-0.

The Herons hit the post twice, put 11 other shots on goal and made Atlanta United goalkeeper Brad Guzan recall the reflexes that made him a mainstay for the U.S. men’s national team for more a decade.

Inter Miami had nearly twice the passes and an expected goal 500 percent higher than the visitors from Georgia’s capital city. But, soccer is a sport where teams who do not put away their chances are punished.

Inter Miami was in the 39th minute.

Atlanta United’s Saba Lobjanidze equalized.

The Supporter’s Shield winners pushed numbers forward and created its second goal when Lionel Messi rolled a pass into the path of Jordi Alba. The fullback’s effort from 25 yards found the side netting. It was a goal that Guzan could not have stopped if his career depended on it.

Guzan finished with eight saves in the match.

“It was a match where what I liked the most was the control we had on the field for almost the entire game,” Inter Miami head coach Tata Martino told the team’s website afterward. “We didn’t make many mistakes that would allow the opponent to break out into space. We had five clear chances in the first half, and one of them came very close to the post. We were patient. I believe that if it weren’t for Brad (Guzan)’s performance, the match should have ended with a clear difference.”

Inter Miami has a chance to end the best-of-three series on Nov. 2 in Atlanta. The Five Stripes are 4-1-2 against Inter Miami in Georgia, including a 2-2 result in September. Next week’s MLS Cup Playoff match should be different: for once Messi is expected to suit up in Atlanta.