Inter Miami face their biggest game of the season on Saturday against Atlanta United, with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez expected to start.
The attacking duo have been nothing short of excellent this season, with Suarez coming second in voting for MLS Newcomer of the Year whilst Messi remains favorite to win MLS MVP after an incredible individual year.
With Inter Miami in need of a win if they’re to progress to the semi-finals of the Eastern Conference play-offs, the Herons will need Messi and Suarez at their absolute best if they’re to get a big result against Atlanta.
And Taylor Twellman has backed Messi and Suarez to do just that because of one factor.
Messi and Suarez dubbed MLS’s best big-game players
Speaking on MLS’s official YouTube channel, the former USA international highlighted how Inter Miami need their big players to perform if they’re to beat Atlanta, with Twellman saying Messi and Suarez are the best in MLS for these sort of games.
The former FC Barcelona duo have two of the best resumes in all of soccer, and if any players are to get Inter Miami over the finish line in this season’s play-offs, it will be Messi and Suarez in the attack.
Twellman said: “Do I expect Inter Miami to turn up? Absolutely. At home, they’re dominant, they only lost three times in 21 games in all competitions, they scored 55 goals in those games, 30 of those scored by their two MVP candidates, Suarez and Messi.
“Those two will have to be at their best, and in these circumstances, there are not two players who have been there and done that better in MLS than the two friends from Barcelona.”
How good have Messi and Suarez been for Inter Miami this year?
Messi transformed Inter Miami after signing for the Herons last summer, with the Argentine’s arrival inspiring Suarez to make the same move earlier this year in the January window.
| Lionel Messi for Inter Miami in 2024 | Luis Suarez for Inter Miami in 2024 | |
| Games played | 24 | 36 |
| Goals | 22 | 25 |
| Assists | 13 | 12 |
And as per the two attackers numbers for 2024, Messi and Suarez have been nothing short of phenomenal for Inter Miami, with Messi and Suarez both hitting 35+ goal contributions in all competitions.
With Saturday’s game the biggest of the season, Messi and Suarez need to do all they can to ensure they come away with a win against Atlanta, with the Florida franchise too good to crash out of the play-offs at this stage.