Lionel Messi’s shock playoff defeat was great for drama but a problem for MLS

The league has made the Argentinian star the crux of its push for growth. But now that his season is over will neutral fans bother to watch?

Everyone loves an underdog story, although an iPad may have been angrily thrown across the room in the Garber household as Atlanta United shocked Inter Miami on Saturday evening. Tim Cook might have reacted in a similar way after posting how excited" he was to watch Lionel Messi and Co in the MLS playoffs. He won't be watching any more of him this year.

These were the Messi playoffs. The league's entire postseason marketing focused on the GOAT, pre-empting a predicted march to MLS Cup glory after Miami had set a regular-season points record. Messi was everywhere: on billboards, in social media promos and TV ads. They even aired Inter Miami's first playoff game in Times Square. MLS had been building to this moment ever since Messi arrived in Florida.