Inter Miami beat New York City to secure playoff place

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 15 Oct, 10:08 · Archive

Inter Miami secured an MLS playoff place with a 2-0 win over New York City FC, dropping NYCFC below the playoff line.

Inter Miami defeated New York City FC 2-0 on Wednesday, with goals from Germán Berterame and Rodrigo De Paul securing the visitors a spot in the MLS playoffs. Lionel Messi assisted both first-half goals. Berterame ended a scoring drought dating to May with a simple finish in the twentieth minute after Messi set up the play. De Paul added Miami's second on a quick counter-attack in stoppage time at the end of the first half, firing high past NYCFC goalkeeper Matt Freese.

The victory gave Inter Miami back-to-back wins and guaranteed them at least a wild card round spot in the playoffs, with five games left to play. Head coach Cristian Gonzalez, who took over last month, said: 'I'm leaving happy. Obviously, there's a lot to improve, but we're making progress little by little.' Messi, who had scored twice on Saturday after returning from international duty with Argentina, remained a dangerous presence throughout.

For NYCFC, the loss dropped them outside the playoff picture. The club has not won since mid-September, when they beat Real Salt Lake 2-0, and head coach Pascal Jansen said the team would not change its approach despite the final five matches being crucial.

How it is being reported

• Messi’s Inter Miami beat New York City to reach third straight MLS playoffMessi assist sets Inter Miami on way to 2-0 win against New York City FC as back-to-back wins guarantee playoff place.Al Jazeera · 15 Oct, 09:24
• NYCFC on outside of playoff picture as winless stretch continues with loss to Inter MiamiNew York City FC is on the outside looking in after its latest loss.New York Post · 15 Oct, 04:55

In this story: Inter Miami · New York City FC · Lionel Messi · Rodrigo De Paul · Germán Berterame · Cristian Gonzalez · Pascal Jansen

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