Well, that wasn't supposed to happen. Inter Miami were supposed to make easy work of Atlanta United on Saturday; beat the Black and Red on the road and give themselves two-plus weeks of rest before returning to action for the Eastern Conference semi-finals. At which point they would, presumably, stroll through the rest of the MLS playoffs, easing past everyone else on their way to winning their first MLS Cup, thus allowing Lionel Messi to get his hands on trophy number 47 of his storied career.
Of course, football is rarely that simple. The jeopardy in this sport comes from an inherent uncertainty, and despite Miami's glittering regular season, there is always a chance - in MLS, at least - that something could go wrong. Still, despite those caveats, Tata Martino's side really should have made this a whole lot easier. After beating Atlanta in the first game, they lost the second - and never really looked convincing over the course of 90 minutes.
Instead, they looked like an outfit searching for answers, stretched thin on the road, and, ultimately, uncertain in an atmosphere that was far more hostile than some might have expected, as even the pink Messi shirts that dotted parts of Mercedes-Benz Stadium were drowned out by the Black and Red of the home support.
And so this will need a Game Three to settle things, the full might of MLS's oft-maligned playoff structure being put to use. Miami will still be favourites, but there are some serious questions to be asked as a team that looked so dominant in the regular season are showing an air of vulnerability when the stakes are at their highest.
