It's playoff time! Nashville SC and Inter Miami CF meet yet again, kicking off their Round One best-of-three series on Friday night.
Miami won the last meeting just six days ago, coming back from 2-1 down to earn an emphatic 5-2 victory at Geodis Park. Can they keep the momentum going and make a run win MLS Cup, as the oddsmakers have predicted, or can Nashville pull an upset and end Miami's playoff run in the first round for the second-consecutive year?
Let's dive in.
SixOneFive Soccer Staff
Match info
Teams: Inter Miami CF vs Nashville SC
Referees: Filip Dujic (Ref), Corey Rockwell (AR1), Mike Nickerson (AR2), Armando Villarreal (4th), Michael Radchuk (VAR), TJ Zablocki (AVAR)
Odds: MIA (-185), Draw (+350), NSH (+370)
Date: Friday, October 24, 2025
Time: 7:00 pm CT, Chase Stadium, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, USA
TV: MLS Season Pass – Apple TV (Free), FS1, Fox Deportes
Apple TV Commentary: Jake Zivin, Taylor Twellman & Michele
Giannone (English), Sammy Sadovnik & Diego Valeri (Spanish)
FS1 Commentary: Callum Williams & Devon Kerr
Radio: 104.5 The Zone, Sirius XM FC Channel 157 (English), Sirixus XM Soccer En Espanol Channel 1999 (Spanish)
Radio Commentary (104.5): Will Boling & Eddie Carvacho
Forecast: 85º/75º. 79º at kickoff. Sunny. 10-18 mph winds. 0% chance of rain. 67% humidity.
In honor of Nashville SC's US Open Cup win, new subscribers can get 25% off their first year!
Head-to-head
Nashville wins: 4
Nashville goals: 22
Draws: 5
Miami wins: 7
Miami goals: 24
Last meeting: NSH 2-5 MIA (October 18, 2025 | MLS)
Availability report
SixOneFive Soccer Staff
Inter Miami
The numbers
Goal leaders: Lionel Messi (29), Tadeo Allende (11)
Assist leaders: Lionel Messi (19), Jordi Alba (15)
Last match: NSH 2-5 MIA (MLS)
Inter Miami snapshot
Neither Nashville nor Miami moved from their place in the table on Decision Day. The Herons finished in third place in the East, tied on points with FC Cincinnati but one win behind.
Lionel Messi's hat-trick against Nashville capped off one of the best individual seasons in MLS history. The former Barcelona attacker finished the year with 29 goals and 19 assists, just one goal contribution shy of Carlos Vela's league record 49 in 2019.
Miami struggled heavily to defend Nashville in the first half, allowing over three expected goals, and giving up enough chances that the 'Yotes probably could have scored four before the break. In the second half, though, they showed just how quickly they can flip a game on its head, with Messi taking over the game to dish out an emphatic win.
Miami are dangerous in attacking transition as well as in sustained spells of possession, able to methodically break teams down with the ball. That leaves their opponents in the unenviable position of knowing that if they press, players like Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba and Rodrigo De Paul can the press and find Messi in space. If they sit deep and are reactive, those same players can pick apart and unlock a set defense, like they did for Messi's third goal.
MESSI HAT TRICK 🎩🎩🎩 pic.twitter.com/8UUpchR956
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) October 19, 2025
With no injury concerns, Miami should be able to field their strongest-possible lineup. At home and looking to exorcise the ghost of their 2024 Round One exit, they're as formidable as it gets in MLS.
Predicted XI
Nashville SC
The numbers
Goal leaders: Sam Surridge (24), Hany Mukhtar (16)
Assist leaders: Hany Mukhtar (12), Andy Nájar (10)
Last match: NSH 2-5 MIA (MLS)
Nashville SC snapshot
Nashville SC were excellent in the first half of their 5-2 loss last week. They created some of the best chances they've had all season, and should have gone into the break with a much more substantial lead than 2-1.
Whatta half! pic.twitter.com/WUyrYU5ClL
— Ben Wright (@benwright) October 18, 2025
"We had so many chances," Hany Mukhtar told MLS Soccer earlier this week. We could have had five or six!"
That's the key for Nashville going into this series. Miami will score goals. It's inevitable. They will also give up plenty of high-quality chances, the type of chances Nashville have excelled at creating and struggled to finish at times this season. They cannot afford to be wasteful in this series. It will end their season.
Nashville will be without winger Jonny Pérez for the first match, who remains out with a thigh injury suffered against FC Cincinnati, keeping him out for the last six matches. Ahmed Qasem is listed as questionable and was described by Callaghan as "day-to-day", missing the last five games with an ankle issue picked up in the US Open Cup semifinal win over Philadelphia.
Losing those two leaves Nashville with a shortage of goal-dangerous options off the bench, making it even more vital to finish their chances early.
Predicted XI
Staff predictions
Ben Wright
Score: MIA 1–2 NSH
Scorers: Sam Surridge, Walker Zimmerman
MOTM: Walker Zimmerman
Bold prediction: Nashville spend the final 30 minutes looking more like the 2021 version, but they pull off a gritty 2-1 win to set up a potential series winner at home next weekend.
Chris Ivey
Score: MIA 2–0 NSH
Scorers: N/A
MOTM: Joe Willis
Bold prediction: It never looks close, and Joe Willis does well to prevent a runaway. I still have Nashville stealing the next two.
Jeff Remlinger
Score: MIA 1–1 NSH
Scorers: Alex Muyl
MOTM: Joe Willis
Bold prediction: Joe Willis needs to stand on his head to keep Miami's goal output around or below their xG produced. He will in this game, but Nashville fall in penalties.
Valair Shabilla
Score: MIA 3–1 NSH
Scorers: Sam Surridge
MOTM: Sam Surridge
Bold prediction: Miami score twice after the 75th minute to seal the win.
Fan forecast
Who wins tonight's playoff clash between Nashville SC and Inter Miami?
— SixOneFive Soccer (@615Soccer) October 24, 2025
Vote in our #FanForecast and reply with a #BoldPrediction.
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