Sure, but we're probably too far out of it to make a serious run in the league. Even if this is a tin cup, we need to win a trophy. So, let's do that.
Yeah, it's just too late for Inter Miami this year.
The season is about 2/3 over. Inter Miami has 18 points through 22 matches. That is .818 points per match, and the regular season is 34 matches. Inter Miami is on a pace for 28 points in a full season.
Sure, but what about Messi...
Last year, when only 7 teams made the playoff cut, you need about 1.4 points per match. Orlando City got the last spot in the East with 48 points, and Real Salt Lake got the last spot in the West with 47 points.
But with expansion, MLS now has 9 playoff teams in each conference, as spots 8 & 9 in the East & West are "play-in" games. Currently, DC United is the #9 team in the East with 30 points in 24 matches, for 1.25 points per match. Assuming similar performance across the final 10 games, you would expect DC United to finish with 43 points.
So, assuming that Inter Miami did not want to lose out on a tiebreaker, they would need 44 points to get into the playoffs, which means they would need 26 points over the final 12 matches, or 2.167 points per match. Which is a wild number to hit. Neither the Eastern nor Western champs in 2022 broke 2.000 points per match. It should be noted that Cincinnati is ON FIRE this year, and they are hitting 2.217 points per match right now, but they might cool off. Basically, 2.00 points per match is the gold standard, only a few teams have accomplished that over 34 games. MAYBE it's possible over 12 games, but nearly 2.2 points per match? Incredibly unlikely.
Which means that for Inter Miami to make the 2023 playoffs...the team would need to play at the level of the best team in the league (Cincinnati), just to have a shot of getting the 9th playoff spot.