THRILLER  Atlanta United FC vs. Inter Miami CF | MLS Highlights | ESPN FC - video Dailymotion

THRILLER  Atlanta United FC vs. Inter Miami CF | MLS Highlights | ESPN FC

Transcript

00:00Atlanta has already faced Messi in Miami once, losing 4-0 in the League's Cup group stage

00:05with the Argentine bagging a brace in his first start.

00:08Messi is now at 11 goals and 5 assists in 11 games and Miami has gone on to win the

00:13entire League's Cup, taking down Philadelphia and Nashville en route to its first-ever trophy.

00:18Tata Martino's side has kept that form alive back in MLS, winning three of four outings,

00:23including a 3-1 win at LAFC.

00:26But despite such a heavy dose of success to begin the Messi era, Miami remains an outside

00:31shot for the playoffs.

00:33It's currently 14th in the Eastern Conference with 28 points, 6 out of the final postseason

00:38berth in 9th.

00:40With Messi on hand, however, anything is possible.

00:44For as good as Messi is, the task of taking Miami from the worst team in MLS to a trophy

00:48contender hasn't fallen on his shoulders alone.

00:52Fellow ex-Barcelona legends Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba joined him in Fort Lauderdale,

00:56alongside South American U-22 signings Tomas Avila, CB, Diego Gomez, CM, and Facundo Farias,

01:03W.

01:04The injection of youth has complemented the veteran presences of Busquets and Alba quite

01:08nicely, but internal improvements have played just as big a role in Miami's turnaround.

01:14Winger Robert Taylor, 6 goals, 7 assists, Joseph Martinez, Miami's non-Messi leading

01:19scorer with 10 tallies, and Benjamin Kremasky, 2G, 6A, have particularly benefited from

01:24the bright lights.

01:26Even if Messi isn't available come Saturday, Miami has the weapons to cause Atlanta problems.