Inter Miami CF are navigating a tricky final stretch of the MLS regular season with their playoff seeding still to be settled. A 2-2 draw at home to FC Cincinnati on Wednesday night was a result that summed up the team's recent inconsistency: composed enough to take the lead through Luis Suarez, yet vulnerable enough to concede twice and require a late Riquelme Fillipi equaliser to salvage a point. Manager Kily Gonzalez will be frustrated by the defensive lapses that allowed Cincinnati back into the contest, and the three yellow cards picked up, including one for Lionel Messi, added further concern.

The draw follows a 2-0 defeat at the New York Red Bulls last Saturday, a match in which Messi started on the bench after travelling to Spain to collect the Princess of Asturias Award for Sports. Gonzalez confirmed the decision to rest him was planned in advance, citing the long-haul travel and a congested fixture schedule. Messi came on in the second half but could not turn the game around, ending a run of 13 consecutive matches in which he had scored or assisted.

With 56 points from 32 games, Inter Miami sit third in the Eastern Conference, two points behind second-placed New England Revolution, who they face next at Gillette Stadium on Sunday. That match now carries real weight. A win would strengthen their bid for a top-two seed heading into the playoffs, while another slip could leave them vulnerable to Chicago Fire, who are four points back in fourth.