Lionel Messi to grace 25,000-square-foot screen in Times Square! Inter Miami playoff game to be broadcast by MLS in the middle of New York

MLS has announced a slight tweak to the postseason agenda, with games expected to get underway on the weekend of October 26. Supporters’ Shield winners Inter Miami will now get the honor of kicking things off on Friday evening.

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They will be the only show in town and as the No.1 overall seeds boast home-field advantage in a run that they hope will carry them to an MLS Cup final showdown at Chase Stadium on December 7. Herons captain Messi has said: “We have a significant advantage since we’ll be playing all our matches at home, which is what we were aiming for. 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.”

Apple TV will be making the Inter Miami game available to customers that do not have an MLS Season Pass subscription, while it has been revealed that the fixture will be broadcast live on a giant "Mega-Zilla" digital display in the middle of New York.

Inter Miami, who have helped to take Messi’s record-shattering collection of trophies to 46 and counting, and set to face the winners of the Eastern Conference’s wild-card match in a best-of-three series. The full playoff schedule will be locked in when the regular season comes to a close on October 19.