MIAMI — Finally, after eight long months and a 34-game schedule interrupted by three international tournaments and national team call-ups, the 2025 MLS playoffs kick off this week.

The most pressing question heading into this postseason is simple: Can Lionel Messi, an eight-time Ballon d’Or winner and arguably the best soccer player in history, lead his highly talented and much-hyped Inter Miami team to its first MLS Cup title?

The Inter Miami payroll of nearly $47 million is the most expensive in MLS history, led by Messi and his former FC Barcelona teammates Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba and Luis Suarez. Messi clinched the Golden Boot trophy with 29 goals in 28 games this season. He also led MLS with 19 assists. As a team, Miami scored 81 goals, more than any other team in the league.

And yet, it is not a given that Miami will win the title on Dec. 6. Last year, Inter Miami set a league record for points, won the Supporters’ Shield for best regular-season record, but made a shocking first-round exit from the playoffs at the hands of No. 9 seed Atlanta United.

This time around, Messi’s team is the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference. Its opponent in the first-round best-of-three series is No. 6 seed Nashville SC, whom Miami rallied to beat 5-2 in the regular-season finale last weekend with the help of a Messi hat trick.

Game 1 is Friday night at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale. Game 2 is on the road at Nashville on Nov. 1. Game 3, if necessary, will be back home for Inter Miami, which has home-field advantage throughout the playoffs against all but two opponents, the Philadelphia Union and FC Cincinnati.

Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano and his players are determined to make a deep run this year and avoid the heartbreak of a first-round collapse. Although they have played 53 games across all competitions, more than any other team, and their five oldest players have played the most minutes, Miami enters the postseason on strong footing.

“I would say Miami is more equipped than last year because last year they fell flat,” Apple TV commentator Taylor Twellman said by phone on Wednesday. “I think losing to Atlanta in the manner they did is going to help this team understand what they’re going into.

“I don’t know if that means they 100 percent advance in two games, but last year, after winning the Supporters’ Shield, I think they went into that Atlanta series thinking three games, we’ll find a way to do it. But MLS is a constant reminder of parity.”

Twellman added that the way Miami beat Nashville last weekend, scoring four unanswered goals in the second half, makes Nashville “a little vulnerable.” He is curious how that team will respond on Friday night.

“Will Nashville come out the way they played the first 35 minutes, when they were unequivocably the better team; or do they now sit there and say, 'It doesn’t matter what we do, Messi and company are going to do what they did in the second half, so we have to hang on by the skin of our teeth?’ ’’ Twellman said.

If Miami advances, it will play the winner of the FC Cincinnati vs. Columbus Crew series in the Conference semifinal. If Inter Miami makes it to the Eastern Conference final, it could face Philadelphia on the road. And, if Miami makes it all the way to the MLS Cup final, that game would be at home, regardless of the opponent.

Here is what to know about the MLS Playoffs …

— First-round matchups: East: FC Cincinnati vs. Columbus Crew, Inter Miami vs. Nashville, Charlotte FC vs. New York City FC, Philadelphia vs. wild-card winner Chicago/Orlando. West: Vancouver vs. FC Dallas, LAFC vs. Austin, Minnesota vs. Seattle, San Diego vs. wild-card winner Portland/Real Salt Lake.

— Format: First round is best-of-three series. After that, single elimination.

— Top teams standing in Miami’s way: Vancouver Whitecaps, LAFC, San Diego, Philadelphia, FC Cincinnati

The Whitecaps were one of the hottest teams all year, and beat Inter Miami by an aggregate score of 5-1 in the Champions Cup semifinals. The summer signing of German star Thomas Müller made Vancouver even stronger.

LAFC also got more dangerous with a major summer signing. Golden Boot runner-up Denis Bouanga has reached another level since L.A. signed South Korean star Son Heung-min, the former Premier League standout. Bouanga and Son are one of the most lethal attacking duos in the league.

“LAFC has the pedigree to win games 1-nil and now with Son on the field with Bouanga, they’ve got two different game changers,” Twellman said. “I think the Western Conference is LAFC’s to lose.”

San Diego FC set a record for the most points (63) and most wins (19) by an expansion franchise. Leading the way for the newcomers are Danish attacker Anders Dreyer (19 goals, 19 assists) and Mexican forward Hirving Lozano (nine goals, 10 assists).

Philadelphia made a major turnaround under new coach Bradley Carnell and won the Supporters’ Shield after finishing 12th in the East last season.

FC Cincinnati won 20 games this season and 16 of them were one-goal victories. That bodes well for Pat Noonan’s team.

“Cincinnati already knows the type of mentality and style on how to grind out games,” Twellman said. “I don’t think Cincinnati has reached its full potential with the roster they have, but they still won 20 games. Cincinnati’s an interesting team and Miami struggles with them.”

— Players to Watch: Messi, Busquets, Alba (Inter Miami); Sam Surridge and Hany Mukhtar (Nashville); Evander and Kevin Denkey (Cincinnati); four-time MLS Cup winner Darlington Nagbe (Columbus); Bouanga and Son (LAFC); Mueller (Vancouver).

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