Lionel Messi's Impact Ignites Inter Miami's Success in MLS

FC Inter Miami and soccer legend Lionel Messi shook up the world of sports in early June when they agreed to a record-breaking contract that brought Messi to Major League Soccer in South Beach.

While Miami sits in the basement of the Eastern Conference with a pitiful 18 points in 22 matches, the regular season isn't over yet. With 12 games left to play and an expanded postseason format this year that means the top nine seeds in each conference will qualify for the playoffs in some fashion (the top seven via auto bid and the eight and nine seeds in a play-in tournament for the final spot in the bracket), Miami still has life.

Even better for the Herons is the fact that the MLS regular season is currently on pause as they take part in the Leagues Cup against Liga MX.

They've gone 3-0 in the tournament so far (Messi's first game for Miami was the opening match of the group stage), outscoring their opponents 9-2.

If Miami was going to deal with any growing pains as they figure out a new team dynamic with Messi in the mix, they have an opportunity to do so now without sacrificing regular season wins.

DC United currently occupies the No. 9 seed in the Eastern Conference with 30 points in 24 matches: with a pair of games in hand, a comeback remains on the table, and Messi has already shown that he can key the team to wins against MLS competition with four goals in two games against them.

While he may not be quite the player he was at the peak of his powers (at age 36, his career is starting to wind down, even if he's still lighting up nets wherever he goes), it's clear that Messi is more than enough to boost Miami's fortunes and keep them in the thick of the playoff race. They're far off in the distance right now but