By the end of it all, it was the ghost of Luis Suarez that summarized the whole thing. There he was, all 37-years-old of great Uruguayan striker gasping with every stride, stretching every last sinew in every pass. Spurning the kind of chances he would normally bury, he finally hunched over. He looked old, exhausted, and out of his depth.
This league, one that had been his playground for much of the season, was suddenly too much - too quick, too athletic.
And he wasn't the only one. Want to know how Atlanta United beat Inter Miami 3-2 on the road Saturday night, clinched a 2-1 series win, and secured the biggest playoff upset in Major League Soccer history? It starts with something admittedly simple: Atlanta is a team, assembled for success. Miami is four star aging individuals with a handful of highly rated players - but not a cohesive side.
Yes, this collective rolled through the regular season, won the Supporter's Shield, and set a new MLS points record (74) in the process. But when it came to the what matters, the games in which the hard yards have to be put in, and the tanks have to be emptied, Miami looked old, disconnected and poorly constructed.
Having Lionel Messi's mates roll up to South Beach makes for some delightful soccer - and resounding impact in every measurable manner for MLS. But in the real version of this league - the frantic, chaotic, messy thing that has always been - an imperfect roster was exposed.