FC Cincinnati Vs Inter Miami Preview, MLS Cup Playoffs SF: Messi Lead Herons In Eastern Conference Final Pursuit

FC Cincinnati host Inter Miami in the Major League Soccer (MLS) 2025 Eastern Conference semi-final at TQL Stadium on Sunday (November 23). Watch the Cincinnati vs Miami football match live tonight.

Cincinnati enter the MLS post-season knock-outs as the second-seeded team, while Miami, led by Lionel Messi, are the third seeds, in the nine-team Eastern Conference. Both clubs are chasing their first-ever appearance in the MLS Cup final.

The winners will next face either Philadelphia Union or New York City FC for a place in the Eastern final, tentatively scheduled for Saturday, Indian time. The Philadelphia vs New York semi-final match at Subaru Park, Chester, kicks off soon after the Cincinnati vs Miami final clash.

In the Western Conference, Vancouver Whitecaps FC have defeated Los Angeles FC 4-3 on penalties after regulation time and 30 minutes of extra time failed to separate the two teams (2-2). Son Heung-min scored a second-half brace, including an injury-time (95') equaliser, but failed to convert LAFC's first spot kick and ended up on the losing side.

The Whitecaps will take on the winners of San Diego FC vs Minnesota United FC in the West final.

FC Cincinnati Vs Inter Miami Head-To-Head Record

In their previous 14 meetings, Inter Miami have won six, while FC Cincinnati have recorded five victories. Three matches have ended in draws. The last time the two teams met, the MLS regular-season match ended in a goalless stalemate in Miami. The reverse fixture was won by Cincinnati, 3-0.

FC Cincinnati Vs Inter Miami: Live Streaming Details

The MLS Cup 2025 Playoffs Eastern Conference semi-final between FC Cincinnati and Inter Miami will be live-streamed globally on Apple TV with MLS Season Pass. There will be no television broadcast of the match anywhere.

Crowning American Soccer Champions: MLS Competition Structure Explained

Unlike most of the world's top-flight football leagues, the top tier of American soccer follows a regular season, running from February to October, then a post-season knockout tournament (MLS Cup Playoffs in November and December) to determine the league champions.

The 2025 season, 30th edition in its current avatar, began with 30 teams, including three Canadian outfits – CF Montreal, Toronto FC, and Vancouver Whitecaps FC. Divided into two conferences of 15 each, Philadelphia Union (East) and San Diego FC (West) topped their respective groups in the regular season.

18 teams qualified for the MLS Cup Playoffs. Teams 1 to 7 (based on their regular-season standings) in each conference advanced directly to the Round One best-of-three series, while seeds 8 and 9 contested a single-match Wild Card for the eighth spot.

In the conference semifinals and finals, rivals play single-elimination games with the higher seeds earning the hosting rights. Then, the MSL Cup Final, contested by the Eastern and Western Conference champions, to crown the national champions.

Cincinnati finished the regular season with 65 points in 3e matches (20 wins, eight defeats). In round one of the play-offs, Pat Noonan's Orange and Blue beat Columbus Crew 2-1 in the best-of-three clash (1-0, 0-4, and 2-1).

The Herons, under Javier Mascherano, arrive in excellent form. They beat Nashville SC 2-1 in the first round, winning the decisive third game 4-0, with Messi scoring twice and assisting twice. They won the first game 3-1, but lost the second 1-2. In the regular season, they also pocketed 65 points, but finished third behind Cincinnati, on total win count, 19 to 20.