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Preview: Fifth meets second as Miami go to Cincinnati

Preview: Fifth meets second as Miami go to Cincinnati

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With another mid-season tournament on the horizon, Inter Miami continued their impressive post-Club World Cup form with another win, as Lionel Messi continued to break records. They are now setting their sights on the top of the table as they go into a game in Ohio on Wednesday night against FC Cincinnati, who sit second in the Eastern Conference.

By James Nalton

Move on up and keep on winning

All of a sudden, Inter Miami are only five points off the top of the Supporters’ Shield standings, with three games in hand.

Javier Mascherano’s side have won all three of their games since returning from the Club World Cup, and their victory against Nashville at the weekend saw them take points from a team above them in the Eastern Conference and the overall MLS standings.

They now have the chance to do the same again when they face FC Cincinnati on Wednesday night.

Saturday’s win narrowed the gap between themselves and Nashville to three points, and they could go within one point of Cincinnati if they win this midweek game.

MLS Eastern Conference standings

There are only three games to go until the Leagues Cup group stage begins — this game, plus a trip to New York Red Bulls and another meeting with FC Cincinnati. 

By that time, Inter Miami could well be closing in on top-of-the-table Philadelphia Union.

Messi’s run continues

Lionel Messi’s MLS record of multiple goals in consecutive games was extended to five, as he scored both goals in the 2-1 win against Nashville.

“There aren’t very many words. It’s incredible what he continues to do,” Mascherano said after the game.

Messi’s FotMob ratings in those five matches have all been above nine. After a relatively quiet start to the season, where other players have been the leading lights in MLS, the Argentine has begun to make his presence felt in 2025.

There are bursts of support from several of his teammates, not least Luis Suárez, who is putting up some decent numbers of his own, but Messi’s performances in recent weeks have turned Inter Miami’s disappointing early season into one in which they are now looking like they could even retain their Supporters’ Shield title.

FC Cincinnati and Evander

FC Cincinnati made one of the signings of the year when they acquired Evander from Portland Timbers in February.

The league had just introduced intra-league cash-for-player trades ahead of the 2025 season, having previously relied on MLS’s internal currency, allocation money, for such transfers.

At $12m (€11.5m at the time), with up to $150,000 in add-ons, Evander’s transfer became the largest of such deals.

Having sold star playmaker Luciano Acosta to FC Dallas, the Brazilian needed to step up right away, and has so far lived up to expectations.

Evander is up there with Messi in several areas of output so far this season, and is on a scoring run of his own, having found the net in his last four matches.

He is third in the goalscoring charts with 13, behind joint leaders Messi and Sam Surridge, has the third-highest average FotMob rating in MLS this season behind Messi and Carles Gil, and is third for goals and assists combined behind Anders Dreyer and Messi.

Cincinnati were on a four-game winning run that came to a halt with a disappointing 4-2 win against local rivals Columbus Crew last weekend, but Evander was still one of the best players on the pitch.

They’ll now be looking to bounce back, and Evander will be looking to show he can at least match Messi.

Prediction

Cincinnati use home advantage and the form of Evander to halt Messi and Miami’s run.

(Cover Image from IMAGO)

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

Preview: Fifth meets second as Miami go to Cincinnati

With another mid-season tournament on the horizon, Inter Miami continued their impressive post-Club World Cup form with another win, as Lionel Messi continued to break records. They are now setting their sights on the top of the table as they go into a game in Ohio on Wednesday night against FC Cincinnati, who sit second in the Eastern Conference.

By James Nalton

Move on up and keep on winning

All of a sudden, Inter Miami are only five points off the top of the Supporters’ Shield standings, with three games in hand.

Javier Mascherano’s side have won all three of their games since returning from the Club World Cup, and their victory against Nashville at the weekend saw them take points from a team above them in the Eastern Conference and the overall MLS standings.

They now have the chance to do the same again when they face FC Cincinnati on Wednesday night.

Saturday’s win narrowed the gap between themselves and Nashville to three points, and they could go within one point of Cincinnati if they win this midweek game.

MLS Eastern Conference standings

There are only three games to go until the Leagues Cup group stage begins — this game, plus a trip to New York Red Bulls and another meeting with FC Cincinnati. 

By that time, Inter Miami could well be closing in on top-of-the-table Philadelphia Union.

Messi’s run continues

Lionel Messi’s MLS record of multiple goals in consecutive games was extended to five, as he scored both goals in the 2-1 win against Nashville.

“There aren’t very many words. It’s incredible what he continues to do,” Mascherano said after the game.

Messi’s FotMob ratings in those five matches have all been above nine. After a relatively quiet start to the season, where other players have been the leading lights in MLS, the Argentine has begun to make his presence felt in 2025.

There are bursts of support from several of his teammates, not least Luis Suárez, who is putting up some decent numbers of his own, but Messi’s performances in recent weeks have turned Inter Miami’s disappointing early season into one in which they are now looking like they could even retain their Supporters’ Shield title.

FC Cincinnati and Evander

FC Cincinnati made one of the signings of the year when they acquired Evander from Portland Timbers in February.

The league had just introduced intra-league cash-for-player trades ahead of the 2025 season, having previously relied on MLS’s internal currency, allocation money, for such transfers.

At $12m (€11.5m at the time), with up to $150,000 in add-ons, Evander’s transfer became the largest of such deals.

Having sold star playmaker Luciano Acosta to FC Dallas, the Brazilian needed to step up right away, and has so far lived up to expectations.

Evander is up there with Messi in several areas of output so far this season, and is on a scoring run of his own, having found the net in his last four matches.

He is third in the goalscoring charts with 13, behind joint leaders Messi and Sam Surridge, has the third-highest average FotMob rating in MLS this season behind Messi and Carles Gil, and is third for goals and assists combined behind Anders Dreyer and Messi.

Cincinnati were on a four-game winning run that came to a halt with a disappointing 4-2 win against local rivals Columbus Crew last weekend, but Evander was still one of the best players on the pitch.

They’ll now be looking to bounce back, and Evander will be looking to show he can at least match Messi.

Prediction

Cincinnati use home advantage and the form of Evander to halt Messi and Miami’s run.

(Cover Image from IMAGO)

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