Messi-less Inter Miami lose 4-1 to Xherdan Shaqiri's Chicago Fire

Messi remained out of action for the 4-1 shellacking at Soldier Field, a match that saw over 60,000 fans in attendance. Most were there in the hope of potentially seeing the Argentine, but what they did see was the home side's best performance of the year when it mattered most.

Swiss star Xherdan Shaqiri was responsible for two of the Fire's four goals, the first of which came in the 49th minute. The Herons Josef Martinez equalized from the spot four minutes later, but that's when the collapse started. The Fire then went on the offensive, with Shaqiri scoring the dagger while Maren Haile-Selassie notched a brace off the bench for goals two and three.

With the loss, Inter Miami are now five points out of the ninth and final playoff spot, with five teams standing between them and that spot. They'll have just three games to shore up that gap, with two matches against Charlotte FC and a date with the leagues best team: Supporters' Shield winners FC Cincinnati.

The Fire, meanwhile, leap up to eighth with the win as they make their own playoff push.

THE MVP: Shaqiri has earned plenty of unwarranted criticism since arriving in Chicago, partially due to the lack of quality around him. However, the ex-Bayern Munich and Liverpool star showed his own quality in the big moment that was Wednesday night, lifting his side in a must-win match for Chicago's own playoff push.

ot a player, but a group, as the Inter Miami defense capitulated in the big moment. Missing Jordi Alba in addition to Messi, the Spaniard's replacement, Noah Allen, struggled - as did the central pairing of Kamal Miller and Serhiy Kryvtsov as Miami conceded three goals in 11 minutes to all but kill their postseason dreams.

The Herons will face FC Cincinnati on Saturday before wrapping up their season with two matches against Charlotte FC