Inter Miami honors Lionel Messi after his father's death
9.8.26Inter Miami
Inter Miami paid tribute to absent captain Lionel Messi after the death of his father, Jorge, at age 68. Miami held a moment of silence, wore black armbands and honored Messi with chants and a No. 10 tribute, but lost 2-1 to Monterrey, hurting their Leagues Cup knockout-stage hopes.
MLS awards the regular season winners with the Supporters' Shield and a direct berth in the CONCACAF Champions League, the continental tournament. The top nine teams from each conference qualify for the playoffs. The eighth and ninth seeds in each conference play a wild-card match to determine who advances to the first round. The first round consists of best-of-three series, with the higher-seeded team hosting the first and third matches (if necessary). The conference semifinals, conference finals, and MLS Cup final are single-elimination matches. The team with the better regular-season record hosts each match.