No more Lionel Messi and that could be for best - MLS playoffs still must watch

You can bet that those in charge at the MLS headquarters in midtown Manhattan would have been devastated watching on as Miami were eliminated at the hands of Atlanta United.

Viewership and advertising revenue will have gone down but, there are still reasons to stay engaged and make sure you're tuning in for the climax of the MLS season.

Here talkSPORT takes a look at why there's still much to look forward to ahead of the start of the conference semi-finals this weekend…

Level playing field brings drama

The favorites are gone, Messi is at home, and the season rumbles on. And while he won't be winning the MLS Cup this season alongside his superstar teammates Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets, and Jordi Alba, perhaps that is for the best.

Whereas Inter Miami finished with a record regular season points haul of 74 - eight more than the eastern conference runners up, Columbus Crew - the highest ranking remaining side on the eastern front is Orlando City who finished the regular season with just 52 points.

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Meanwhile, Atlanta United, who barely snuck into the postseason as a wild card entrant before taking down Montreal and Miami, lead the Cinderella group that also includes sixth and seventh placed finishers New York City and NY Red Bulls.

This certainly isn't how it was supposed to end up, but it does create a supremely exciting proposition for the final few weekends of MLS action. No one knows anything and no one can realistically pick a favorite. That's what makes it exciting.

On the Western Conference side, things are a bit more obvious. The two LA teams - who finished first and second in the regular season - remain alive while fourth-placed Seattle Sounders and sixth-place Minnesota make up the rest.

Parity creates excitement and the MLS playoffs are looking incredibly even. More than a third of the first round games were decided by penalties while four of the eight ties came down to the final game of the three-match series.

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Next up winner-take-all conference semifinals and if the first few weeks of the postseason are anything to go by, then drama will be a guarantee.

Superstars remain

While Inter Miami captured much of the headlines for their Messi-led nucleus of superstars, they aren't the only team with an impressive list of names.

The two LA sides have their fair share of talent. The Galaxy are led by captain Maya Yoshida who made more than 150 Premier League appearances for Southampton while also boasting Borussia Dortmund legend Marco Reus.

LAFC will be calling on Hugo Lloris and Olivier Giroud as well as former Arsenal attacker Carlos Vela and midfielder Lewis O'Brien, currently on loan from Nottingham Forest. Sure, O'Brien may not be Messi but he's part of a group that offers compelling viewing.

Meanwhile, Brad Guzan, formerly of Aston Villa, is starring in Atlanta's impressive run and Teemu Pukki is now plying his trade for Minnesota United.

Perhaps most thrilling is a slightly smaller name, that of Riqui Puig who at 22-years-old left a promising career with Barcelona in order to join the LA Galaxy. Still only 25-years-old, Puig notched 13 goals and 10 assists this season and in the slightly lower level of the MLS is truly a joy to watch.

Puig already has four goals in the playoffs and can offer up a moment of magic at all times. Football can be a lot of fun and that's certainly the case when Puig is on form.

Playoffs are always fun

This isn't necessarily an MLS-specific reason, but the truth is that playoffs are always fun. Always.

They're fun in the EFL but outside of that, the football world doesn't get much of the American-style decision system. That's okay, the history of European football is built on league tables rather than a shorter winner-takes-all format.

But it also means on the rare occasions when we do have playoffs - and the specific thrills they provide - we might as well enjoy it.

This season in a more traditional system, Inter Miami would have been crowned champions. Honestly, they probably deserved it. But the playoffs provide uncertainty and randomness and that makes things very interesting.

Miami were taken down by 9th-place finishers Atlanta while the rest of the Eastern Conference top three are also gone. We've seen penalties, last-minute goals, as well all-time shocks.

Orlando are the perfect encapsulation of the ongoing drama. After winning the first game of their best-of-three series against Charlotte, Orlando lost the second game on penalties. In the third, they trailed deep into second half stoppage time.

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Facing elimination, Facundo Torres popped up with the equalizer in the 12th minute of added time before Orlando triumphed on penalties.

Playoffs are entertaining by nature so while you might not see Messi any more this season (you won't) you will see serious drama and serious entertainment. So you might as well watch. You never know when the next iconic moment will be born but heroes and villains will be created in the next three weeks.

Brad Guzan discusses Lionel Messi's SCORELESS night against him in the MLS