Inter Miami is all set to play host to the opening 2024 Round One MLS Cup Playoffs match at Chase Stadium on Friday, Oct. 25, with a bit of a twist.
Throughout the primetime match against the winner of the Eastern Conference Wild Card match between Atlanta United and CF Montréal, the camera will be focused solely on superstar Lionel Messi. This won't be broadcast on Apple TV but instead on both the MLS and Inter Miami accounts on the popular app TikTok, which contains well over one billion users across the world.
It's worth noting that Miami is the only team playing Friday night and that the TikTok broadcast focused on Messi is the first of its kind on the app. The match begins at 8:30 p.m. EST in front of what should be a fired up crowd in south Florida.
How to Watch the Messi TikTok Stream
The player spotlight stream will be available on @MLS and @InterMiamiCF on TikTok. Simply go to either profile simulcasting the game on your mobile device to tune in. The broadcast begins five minutes prior to kickoff.
Messi is coming off a second-straight hat trick after Miami throttled New England Revolution on the final day of the regular season 6–2. Just a few days prior on international duty with the Argentina national team, the 37-year-old bagged a hat trick in his country's 6–0 win over Bolivia in FIFA World Cup Qualifying action.
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The Barcelona legend is the Landon Donovan MVP frontrunner despite playing in just over half of the matches this season due to injury. Messi's 20 league goals are tied for the most for Miami alongside Luis Suárez while his 16 assists are second to none at the south Florida club. With his hat trick on Saturday night, Messi became the club's all-time leading goalscorer with 33 goals in 36 matches.
The match will be Messi, Suárez, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets' first MLS Cup Playoffs appearance. It will also be Miami's third postseason appearance in its fifth MLS season after missing out last year when Messi signed on a free transfer from PSG.
Miami set a new MLS single-season points record with its win over the Revolution with 74 points from 34 matches while also lifting the 2024 Supporters' Shield, carrying plenty of momentum into the postseason.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as MLS Announces "Player Spotlight: Messi" TikTok Stream for 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs.
