Inter Miami are out of the 2024 MLS play-offs after a shock 3-2 loss against Atlanta United on Saturday.
The MLS Cup favorites fell at the first hurdle against Tata Martino’s former side with the Five Stripes advancing to the semi-finals of the Eastern Conference having come out on top in the best-of-three play-off series.
With Martino saying Inter Miami are ‘sad’ after the shock defeat, the MLS post-season has taken a turn nobody would have predicted with Atlanta facing the Herons as the lowest-seeded team in the Eastern bracket.
And Jordi Alba has now said that the MLS play-off format needs changing.
Alba proposes new MLS play-off change after Inter Miami loss
Speaking to ESPN, the Inter Miami defender said the play-off format should be changed where the MLS Cup champion is decided by the conference winners facing off each other, rather than a drawn-out post-season like the current situation is.
Alba said when asked about Inter Miami’s defeat against Atlanta: “It was a good season, but what we wanted was to win this more. In my opinion, I am not the one who is going to change now.
“This format seems a little unfair to me. It is clear that it has been done this way for many years, but if you ask me, if it were up to me, I would have to be the champion of one conference against the champion of the other, to make it as fair as possible, that’s how it is.
“I repeat, congratulations to the rival team. I think they competed very well against us, they knew their weapons, the goalkeeper was spectacular and good, I think that is what clearly marked the difference.”
Inter Miami only have themselves to blame after Atlanta defeat
The MLS play-offs have been a factor since the league’s inception back in 1996, with the post-season one of the unique selling points of the division and something that makes the American top-flight unique in soccer.
And Inter Miami only have themselves to blame after their elimination from the hands of Atlanta, with Alba’s calls for a change to the play-offs nothing short of crazy given how fairly the Herons were beaten across a best-of-three series.
Whilst some tweaks could be made to streamline the play-off calendar, Inter Miami can’t go pointing figures at others for their downfall this post-season, with the Herons the reason why they were unable to progress against Atlanta.