Inter Miami beats NYCFC 2-0 to clinch MLS playoff spot with Messi assist Inter Miami defeated New York City FC 2-0 on Wednesday night to return to the MLS playoffs, with goals from Germán Berterame and Rodrigo De Paul and an assist from Lionel Messi. Inter Miami is back in the MLS playoffs after a 2-0 win over New York City FC on Wednesday night, a result that dropped NYCFC below the postseason cut line with five matches remaining. Germán Berterame opened the scoring in the 20th minute for his eighth goal of the season, finishing off impressive ball movement by Miami. Rodrigo De Paul doubled the lead in first-half stoppage time, blasting a shot past NYCFC goalkeeper Matt Freese. Lionel Messi assisted on De Paul's goal. Luis Suárez also assisted for Inter Miami, which has won back-to-back matches for the first time since July.Messi And Suarez Lead Inter Miami Playoff PushThe victory came after Miami routed DC United 4-0 last Saturday on a pair of goals from Messi and Suárez. It was the second league win for new coach Cristian Kily González, who took over Sept. 16. Miami missed the postseason when Messi arrived in 2023, but has reached the playoffs the past three seasons, losing in the first round to Atlanta United in 2024, then beating Vancouver last year to win the club's first MLS Cup.NYCFC has not won a match since mid-September, a 2-0 victory over Real Salt Lake. That stands as their only regular-season win since the Leagues Cup break in August. The club has seen countless leads slip away in the second half. Summing up NYCFC's recent luck, Nicolás Fernández Mercau was turned away on a penalty kick in stoppage time in the second half by Inter Miami goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair, who recorded his second straight clean sheet.When asked by The Post when head coach Pascal Jansen and his staff may resort to shaking things up to try to spark NYCFC, Jansen suggested that was something the coaching staff does before every match. That is assuming we don't do this as a staff going into every game, Jansen said. We do that when we make our plans and try to put a winning team out there every game.Jansen Defends Tactics Amid Struggles For NYCFCSo that makes no difference going into the stretch of five that is that remains to be played. It remains a very bad stretch and you can see the confidence in the team is a little weaker at the moment, which is something that is explainable given the stretch we're in, Jansen said. But our strengths and weaknesses, I don't think they have either been more exposed or become different throughout the stretch, that is something I don't believe.It has been a rollercoaster year for Messi, who led Argentina to its second straight World Cup final and announced his retirement from international soccer a month later. Now, he has a chance to cap it with another trophy.