Lionel Messi has been the standout MLS player so far, but the season will be regarded as a failure unless he brings home play-off success to Miami.
The Argentine forward, who on Thursday signed a new deal until 2028, has just claimed the MLS Golden Boot with 29 goals and is highly tipped to receive the league's Most Valuable Player award again.
Should that happen, Messi will become the first player in the 30-season history of the MLS to win it back to back.
But, having failed to defend the MLS equivalent of the league title, the 38-year-old and Inter Miami know everything hinges on lifting the MLS Cup for the first time in their history.
The franchise, part-owned by David Beckham and coached by Javier Mascherano, face the first game in a best-of-three series on Friday against Nashville SC, whose attack is led by English striker Sam Surridge.
While the league title may be considered the major prize for clubs around the world, the post-season play-offs are seen as the main piece of silverware in America.
This has been the target for Inter Miami since Messi arrived in 2023 from Paris St-Germain, but not yet achieved.
In fact, the only knockout competition they have won during his time at the club was the 2023 Leagues Cup - a new tournament that pitted teams from the MLS and Mexico's Liga MX against each other.
They have been in seven cup competitions since then and failed to add another trophy, beyond the 2024 Supporters' Shield for topping the overall league table.
Defender Noah Allen, 21, said: "Yeah [it's a failure if Inter Miami don't win MLS Cup]. We have high expectations for ourselves.
"I feel like we have the highest standard in ourselves and we want to win every trophy possible."