In his most recent appearance, Xherdan Shaqiri—who is still working in Major League Soccer—scored two goals, thus ending Inter Miami’s playoff hopes for Lionel Messi.
The former Red joined Chicago Fire in February 2022, only a few months after leaving Liverpool after 63 games and moving to Lyon.
With his most recent goals deflating Messi’s aspirations, Shaqiri, now 31 years old, has been a regular for the American team throughout the entire season.
Chicago Fire played host to Inter Miami, defeating the team without Messi 4-1. Messi missed the game due to injury, missing a fourth straight game.
Chicago’s first and fourth goals of the game were scored by Shaqiri. The Chicago Fire encouraged supporters to attend by offering credit toward memberships and tickets.
After their victory, Fire moved up to eighth place in the Eastern Conference, while Inter Miami dropped to 14th, second to last.
A club must position eighth or ninth to compete in the wild-card round or finish in the top seven to receive a bye into the first round of the playoffs.
There are a total of 18 qualified teams. the top nine players from both the Western Conference and the Eastern Conference.
While Inter Miami is currently 12 and five points off a wild card finish, Fire is currently five points off a spot in the top seven, with two and three matches remaining, respectively.
As a result, the odds favor Shaqiri and the Chicago Fire, but not Messi and his new squad.
Shaqiri has yet to represent Fire in the postseason, as
