Brazilian player Riquelme Fillipi scored his first MLS goal in the 90th minute—capping a flurry of late-match scoring—as Lionel Messi and Inter Miami managed a 2-2 draw against Cincinnati on Wednesday.
Despite the result, the team slipped to third place in the Eastern Conference, following New England’s 3-2 victory over the New York Red Bulls, also on Wednesday.
That puts the Revolution at 58 points—two ahead of Miami—with two matches remaining for each side, including a head-to-head clash this Sunday in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
In stoppage time, Cincinnati’s Brazilian player Evander had a golden opportunity to win the match with a shot from near the penalty spot—the final real chance of the game—but Inter Miami defender Ian Fray threw his body in front of the ball to deflect it.
The ensuing corner kick for Cincinnati posed no threat, and time ran out.
Kenji Mboma Dem scored in the 80th minute, and Samuel Gidi added his first MLS goal six minutes later for Cincinnati, a team still fighting to secure a playoff spot. Gidi’s goal came on a counterattack from the edge of the penalty area, and for a moment, it looked as though Cincinnati might pull off an upset.
Fillipi saved the day for Inter Miami, striking from the left side of the box—from nearly the same spot where Suárez had scored earlier in the match.
Sunday now looms as a massive day for Inter Miami. Messi’s side will travel to face the Revolution, with the outcome likely playing a major role in determining not only which team claims the second spot in the East, but potentially also the No. 2 seed for the playoffs.
That will be the penultimate regular-season match for Miami, which concludes its campaign at home against Charlotte on November 7. Before the match, MLS announced that the upcoming, shortened season will kick off with Cincinnati visiting Miami on February 19. This abbreviated season will serve as a bridge between the league’s current schedule and one more closely aligned with the international calendar, which is set to begin in July 2027.
Cincinnati missed an opportunity to move closer to securing a playoff spot. They needed a win in Miami on Wednesday—combined with a loss for Columbus against Dallas—to formally clinch their qualification.
