Inter Miami can clinch Eastern Conference semifinal at Nashville SC

Inter Miami can clinch a place in the Eastern Conference semifinals of Major League Soccer when it visits Nashville SC at Geodis Park on Saturday in the second game of a best-of-three playoff series. Miami won the opening match 3-1 at home last week, with Lionel Messi scoring twice, leaving Nashville needing a victory to force a decisive third game in Fort Lauderdale on November 8.

The immediate stakes are clear. A win for Inter Miami would send the reigning Supporters Shield contenders into the next round, where they would face either FC Cincinnati or Columbus Crew. Nashville, which captured its first trophy this year by winning the U.S. Open Cup, must reverse last week’s result to keep its season alive.

Tactical choices and personnel availability are shaping the matchup. Nashville head coach BJ Callaghan deployed a defensive approach in the first game and switched to a more aggressive lineup late, producing a stoppage-time goal by Hany Mukhtar that proved too late to change the outcome. The hosts remain shorthanded. Defenders Wyatt Meyer, Julian Gaines, Jonny Perez and Taylor Washington are out, while Ahmed Qasem is doubtful. Sam Surridge and Mukhtar, who combined for 40 goals...