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Preview: Inter Miami take on DC United

Preview: Inter Miami take on DC United

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Inter Miami face DC United for the second time in the space of a month, with Lionel Messi and co. riding high after a convincing midweek win.

By James Nalton

Miami exacted revenge for the Leagues Cup final defeat with a win against Seattle Sounders on Tuesday, and will be hoping to ride this wave and put together an end-of-season run.

Such a run has been expected to be around the corner for some time, but has never arrived. Now is likely the last chance to put one together and make a push for the Supporters’ Shield.

The previous meeting with DC United, on August 23, resulted in a 1-1 draw. It was a disappointing result for Miami against the team currently second from bottom of the Eastern Conference.

As was the case against Seattle, they’ll be looking to put things right in the rematch.

Messi back in the goals

It is rare that Lionel Messi does not score in an MLS match, but he had failed to find the net in the previous game against Charlotte. 

He also drew a blank in the Leagues Cup final against Seattle. He put that right in the teams’ MLS rematch last week, and it’s an ominous sign for this weekend’s opponents DC United. 

Messi scored one in midweek, but could have had a few more, racking up an individual xG of 1.75.

He also managed to complete six dribbles in the game against Seattle, almost matching his season’s best in this regard, which came back in May when he completed seven take-ons against Orlando.

Messi seemed to be revelling in the all-round centre-forward role he was given in the absence of the suspended Luis Suárez.

Mascherano’s formation switch

Inter Miami’s improved performance against Seattle was partly driven by a change in formation.

Javier Mascherano hasn’t always been able to affect games positively with coaching changes and tactics, but he deserves credit for switching things up against Seattle.

Many formation graphics still showed Miami with a back four, but the reality was more like a back three of Gonzalo Luján, Maxi Falcon, and Noah Allen.

This allowed Jordi Alba to act as an attacking wing-back down the left, and Ian Fray to do the same on the right.

It certainly paid off, as shown by Alba’s heavy involvement in most of the good things Miami did, getting a goal and an assist. 

Fray had chances to score himself, eventually finding the net with his team’s third goal from a corner.

Messi roamed around in front of and between Rodrigo De Paul and Tadeo Allende, with Sergio Busquets and Yannick Bright holding fort in midfield.

Tomas Aviles, Telasco Segovia, and Baltasar Rodríguez are all back in the running for a place in the team, but Mascherano must be tempted to stick with the lineup and formation that defeated Seattle.

Opposition watch: DC United

United have a new head coach in the shape of René Weiler, who had not been in the job long before facing Inter Miami the first time last month.

The team are unbeaten since Weiler entered the dugout, drawing three and managing to claim a victory against New York City FC at Yankee Stadium.

There is nothing to play for other than pride, as DC United are now out of the race for a playoff spot.

Last season’s Golden Boot winner, Christian Benteke, hasn’t scored since July, and will be looking to put that right against a team that do give opponents chances.

Prediction

With Messi back in the lineup, having missed the previous meeting, and Inter Miami back at home in Fort Lauderdale, you can’t imagine anything other than an Inter Miami victory.

(Cover Image from IMAGO)

You can follow every MLS game live this season with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage including shot maps, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Preview: Inter Miami take on DC United

Inter Miami face DC United for the second time in the space of a month, with Lionel Messi and co. riding high after a convincing midweek win.

By James Nalton

Miami exacted revenge for the Leagues Cup final defeat with a win against Seattle Sounders on Tuesday, and will be hoping to ride this wave and put together an end-of-season run.

Such a run has been expected to be around the corner for some time, but has never arrived. Now is likely the last chance to put one together and make a push for the Supporters’ Shield.

The previous meeting with DC United, on August 23, resulted in a 1-1 draw. It was a disappointing result for Miami against the team currently second from bottom of the Eastern Conference.

As was the case against Seattle, they’ll be looking to put things right in the rematch.

Messi back in the goals

It is rare that Lionel Messi does not score in an MLS match, but he had failed to find the net in the previous game against Charlotte. 

He also drew a blank in the Leagues Cup final against Seattle. He put that right in the teams’ MLS rematch last week, and it’s an ominous sign for this weekend’s opponents DC United. 

Messi scored one in midweek, but could have had a few more, racking up an individual xG of 1.75.

He also managed to complete six dribbles in the game against Seattle, almost matching his season’s best in this regard, which came back in May when he completed seven take-ons against Orlando.

Messi seemed to be revelling in the all-round centre-forward role he was given in the absence of the suspended Luis Suárez.

Mascherano’s formation switch

Inter Miami’s improved performance against Seattle was partly driven by a change in formation.

Javier Mascherano hasn’t always been able to affect games positively with coaching changes and tactics, but he deserves credit for switching things up against Seattle.

Many formation graphics still showed Miami with a back four, but the reality was more like a back three of Gonzalo Luján, Maxi Falcon, and Noah Allen.

This allowed Jordi Alba to act as an attacking wing-back down the left, and Ian Fray to do the same on the right.

It certainly paid off, as shown by Alba’s heavy involvement in most of the good things Miami did, getting a goal and an assist. 

Fray had chances to score himself, eventually finding the net with his team’s third goal from a corner.

Messi roamed around in front of and between Rodrigo De Paul and Tadeo Allende, with Sergio Busquets and Yannick Bright holding fort in midfield.

Tomas Aviles, Telasco Segovia, and Baltasar Rodríguez are all back in the running for a place in the team, but Mascherano must be tempted to stick with the lineup and formation that defeated Seattle.

Opposition watch: DC United

United have a new head coach in the shape of René Weiler, who had not been in the job long before facing Inter Miami the first time last month.

The team are unbeaten since Weiler entered the dugout, drawing three and managing to claim a victory against New York City FC at Yankee Stadium.

There is nothing to play for other than pride, as DC United are now out of the race for a playoff spot.

Last season’s Golden Boot winner, Christian Benteke, hasn’t scored since July, and will be looking to put that right against a team that do give opponents chances.

Prediction

With Messi back in the lineup, having missed the previous meeting, and Inter Miami back at home in Fort Lauderdale, you can’t imagine anything other than an Inter Miami victory.

(Cover Image from IMAGO)

You can follow every MLS game live this season with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage including shot maps, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.