Messi-less Miami's playoff hopes fade afer 4-1 Chicago rout

By AFP

Missing Lionel Messi again, Inter Miami's hopes of squeezing into the MLS playoffs suffered a

body blow on Wednesday with a 4-1 defeat to Chicago Fire.

The defeat leaves Miami next to the bottom of the Eastern Conference and five points off the last

Playoff spot with just three games remaining and their destiny no longer in their own hands.

The prospect of seeing the Argentine World Cup winner in action drew a record home crowd

of 62,124 to Soldier Field in Chicago but with no Messi, it was Chicago's own diminutive

number ten who put on the show.

Swiss former Liverpool and Bayern Munich playmaker Xherdan Shaqiri scored twice with his

compatriot Maren Haile-Selassie also grabbing a brace.

Chicago's win strengthens their chances of making the post-season for the first time since

2017, moving them up to eighth place.

All the action came in the second half with Shaqiri opening the scoring four minutes after the

interval, finishing off a fine passing move with a left-foot shot at the back post.

Miami bounced back swiftly though with Josef Martinez converting a penalty after a handball

from Chicago defender Jonathan Dean.

Miami then had two great chances to take the lead but both Facundo Farias and Benjamin

Cremaschi put their shots wide from promising positions.

Chicago showed no such lenience in front of goal, however, snatching the lead in the 62nd

minute when substitute Haile-Selassie slotted home after being played in by Fabian Herbers.

Haile-Selassie struck again to make it 3-1 with Miami's back line slow to react to a cross from

the right from Ousmane Doumbia and then Shaqiri completed the rout with a smart finish

after he was put through by Gaston Gimenez.

"It's beautiful to see Soldier Field packed full for soccer games and I hope they're going to

come more and more because we showed today how good we are and the team spirit is

here," said Shaqiri.

"We needed that win obviously and every game now is a final. We suffered, of course, we saw

the quality of Inter Miami but we knew also they had some problems in counter-attack. It was

a perfect night for us," added the 31-year-old.

Charlotte kept their post-season hopes alive with a 3-0 win over the East's bottom club

Toronto with two first-half penalties from Polish forward Karol Swiderski.

Although the North Carolina side are in 13th place, they are just two points behind Montreal,

who occupy ninth place, the last playoff spot in the East.

The New York Red Bulls kept themselves in contention with a 2-1 win at Eastern Conference

leaders Cincinnati.

Cincinnati had already secured the top seed in the playoffs and the home-field advantage

that brings and having started with several key players on the bench they fell behind to early

goals from Frankle Amaya and Elias Monoel before Luciano Acosta, on as a sub, got them

back in the game with a 68th-minute penalty.

D.C United's playoff hopes faded further with Wayne Rooney's team suffering a 3-0 loss at

Austin, a win which keeps the Texan side in contention for a post-season berth in the West.