Inter Miami Clinch Playoff Spot as Rodrigo De Paul Scores and Dayne St. Clair Stops Late NYCFC Penalty

The last kick of the night belonged to New York City FC. Nicolás Fernández Mercau stood over a stoppage-time penalty with a chance to make the final minutes interesting, and Dayne St. Clair got down to push it away. It was the perfect ending to a night when Inter Miami CF did everything they needed to do.

Inter Miami beat NYCFC 2-0 at Nu Stadium on Wednesday, with Germán Berterame scoring in the 20th minute and Rodrigo De Paul hammering in a second in first-half stoppage time. The win clinched a playoff spot for the reigning MLS Cup champions, and Miami said this will be the club's third consecutive postseason and fifth overall.

A Slow Burn, Then Two Daggers

Miami head coach Cristian González named an unchanged lineup from the weekend rout of D.C. United, according to NYCFC, with Messi, Suárez and Berterame up top. NYCFC actually landed the first punch, if you can call it that: Fernández Mercau's low drive from distance in the ninth minute was comfortable for St. Clair. Miami answered three minutes later, when Gonzalo Luján crossed for Sergio Reguilón and Matt Freese had to throw up a strong arm to deny the header, per NYCFC's recap.

The opener in the 20th minute was a passing clinic. According to NYCFC's breakdown, Reguilón floated a ball to Lionel Messi at the edge of the box, Messi found De Paul, De Paul chipped it into Luis Suárez, and Suárez slid it across for Berterame to finish first time from the center of the box. Five players, a handful of touches and one very confused defense. Miami said it was Berterame's eighth goal of the regular season and Suárez's 10th assist.

New York pushed for an equalizer through Aiden O'Neill, who had three shots in the first half without finding the net, and Fernández Mercau, who forced St. Clair into another save in the second minute of stoppage time. Then came the counter that broke them. With the visitors leaning forward, Miami broke out, Messi cut the ball back to De Paul in the middle, and the Argentine midfielder ripped a right-footed shot into the top left corner in the fifth minute of added time. Miami's recap said it was De Paul's fifth goal of the season and Messi's 14th assist.

The Second Half Was a Grind

NYCFC head coach Pascal Jansen made changes, bringing on Hannes Wolf and Kevin O'Toole in the 58th minute and Luighi Hanri in the 65th. Fernández Mercau kept testing St. Clair from distance, with saves in the 68th and 77th minutes, and Luighi got on the end of an O'Toole cross in the 81st but sent his close-range header just wide.

Miami had chances to put it away. Freese saved a Messi shot in the 84th minute, then denied De Paul's curler from outside the box in the first minute of stoppage time and stopped Riquelme Fillipi three minutes later. Messi then had two more attempts blocked in the same sequence.

Finally, in the sixth minute of added time, Ian Fray brought down Talles Magno in the box, and NYCFC had their penalty. Fernández Mercau went low with his left foot, St. Clair read it, and that was the night.

Who Delivered

Rodrigo De Paul scored the goal of the night, put both of his shots on target and was a key piece of the opener, according to NYCFC's breakdown.

Germán Berterame needed exactly one shot to make his mark, and he made it count with the first-time finish that broke the deadlock.

Luis Suárez did not attempt a single shot, yet still picked up the assist on the opener with a perfectly weighted ball across the six-yard box.

Dayne St. Clair, the Canadian international goalkeeper, made five saves, including the penalty, and recorded his second consecutive clean sheet, per Miami.

Lionel Messi did not score, but his fingerprints were on both goals. He took seven shots, assisted De Paul's goal and had a hand in the buildup to Berterame's.

Nicolás Fernández Mercau was NYCFC's whole attack. He took six shots and put five of them on target, which means every single NYCFC shot on target came off his foot. He deserved a goal. The penalty was the cruelest possible way to miss out.

Matt Freese made four saves for New York and kept the scoreline respectable late.

The Turning Point

De Paul's goal on the stroke of halftime changed the complexion of the match. NYCFC had been pressing for an equalizer and had just forced St. Clair into a save, and the visitors were the ones taking the risks. Miami punished them on the counter, and a manageable one-goal deficit became a two-goal hole right before the whistle. For a team in NYCFC's form, that was a gut punch they never recovered from.

Stats That Matter

• Possession: Miami 57.2 percent, NYCFC 42.8.
• Shots: Even at 14 apiece.
• Shots on target: Miami 6, NYCFC 5.
• Saves: St. Clair five, Freese four.
• Passes: Miami completed 600 of 661.

What It Means

Inter Miami improved to 14-10-5 with 52 points and are officially in the playoffs. This came on the heels of a 4-0 home win over D.C. United on Saturday, and Miami also completed a season sweep of NYCFC after a 3-2 road win in March. Next up is a trip to Atlanta United on Saturday.

NYCFC fell to 8-9-12 with 33 points. It was their third loss in four matches, following a loss at Chicago Fire FC on Saturday, a draw at Atlanta and a home loss to the Red Bulls. Jansen's side returns home to host LAFC at Citi Field on Saturday.

The Closing Take

Miami have made the postseason feel like a formality, which is a little bit like watching a band with a greatest hits catalog play the encore everybody knew was coming. The real question now is not whether they get in, but who wants to see Messi, Suárez and De Paul in a playoff series. NYCFC, after this one, probably do not.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Additional details as reported by Inter Miami CF and New York City FC.