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Lionel Messi makes Inter Miami MLS Cup favorites, but is the Argentine star's patchy knockout record cause for concern?

There was no way Lionel Messi could miss, right? The 2016 Copa America final, 82,000 fans watching. Finally, his moment for country. Viva la Albiceleste. But as Messi stepped up against Chile, he skied his shot, sending it deep into the MetLife stands. Chile win. Messi retires (well, at least temporarily).

Of course, there was the comeback, the World Cup win, the 8th Ballon d’Or. In 2022, he completed football. That miss against Chile was rendered irrelevant, at least in the record books.

Still, there is this indisputable fact: Messi isn’t quite his usual, devastating self in knockout football. Whether it be early struggles for Barcelona, disappearing acts for PSG, or a disappointing series of showings in this year’s Copa America, Inter Miami’s main man isn’t the same unstoppable force in elimination games.

Inter Miami kickoff the 2024 MLS playoffs when they host Atlanta United Friday night, in a match that will be featured on a massive video screen in Times Square in New York. And for a Miami side looking to win its first MLS Cup, that pattern with Messi - should it continue - could be a real cause for concern.

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