Can Inter Miami make playoffs? MLS standings, fixtures and format

Inter Miami moved off the bottom of the MLS Eastern Conference with a 2-0 win over the New York Red Bulls last weekend.

Lionel Messi was rested for the game, but came off the bench to secure the three points with a late goal. After lifting the Leagues Cup and reaching the final of the US Open Cup, Inter Miami duly won their first MLS fixture since Messi’s arrival.

Even after all the early promise shown by Messi, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, Miami are still 11 points adrift of the playoff spots in the Eastern Conference. They have played fewer games than the teams around them, owing to their cup runs, but still have just 11 games to overturn a sizeable gap to the playoff places.

Nevertheless, Inter Miami can still make it to the post-season; but they might have to be near-perfect to get there.

Inter Miami fixtures for the remainder of the MLS season

This season the top nine finishers in the Eastern Conference will qualify for the playoffs. Last year Charlotte took ninth spot with 42 points, suggesting that Inter Miami will need to get close to that figure to have a chance of qualifying.

From their current tally of 21, they need another 21 points in their remaining 11 games to hit 42.

However Miami still have a number of tricky MLS fixtures in the remaining two months of the season. They play Leagues Cup finalists Nashville and then MLS Cup holders LAFC in the coming days.

They still have to play against three of the top four in the Eastern Conference: Atlanta United, Orlando City and Cincinnati. They finish their regular season campaign with a double-header against struggling Charlotte, but by then it could be too late.

Who qualifies for the MLS playoffs?

This season the format for the MLS Cup has been tweaked slightly, with single-elimination Wild Card matches added to the schedule.

The final matchday of the MLS regular season - Decision Day - takes place on 21 October. Once the regular season fixtures have been completed the top nine finishers in the Eastern and Western Conferences will qualify for the playoffs.

The eighth and ninth placed teams in each conference will compete in the Wild Card matches, with the winner in each single-game tie progressing to the playoffs proper.

The two winning teams from the Wild Card matches will join the other 14 playoff qualifiers in Round One. There, the teams will be seeded and play out a series of best-of-three ties.

From there things move to the Conference Semi-finals, which are single-elimination matches with extra time and penalties used if required. The winners will move on to the Conference Finals.

The winner from each conference will progress to the MLS Cup Final, a single match hosted by the higher pre-tournament seed (based on league position).