Beating a team that you just beat 10 days ago is no easy task. That, however, is the task that FC Cincinnati faces this weekend when they travel down to Florida to take on Inter Miami CF one again. There could be some controversy if Lionel Messi and Jordi Alba are allowed to play after missing the All Star game, but that decision has not been made yet.
Inter Miami
Whether or not Messi and Alba play obviously has massive implications on this match. Messi being one of the front runners for the league MVP this season, his absence would strike a massive blow to the Inter Miami squad. Jordi Alba, who notched a goal and assist against New York Red Bulls last weekend, is also a pivotal player for Inter Miami.
Don Garber, the MLS Commissioner, had this to say about potentially suspending Messi this weekend. “Miami has had a schedule unlike any other team. Most of our teams had a 10-day break. Miami hasn’t. We had Leo playing 90 minutes in almost all the the games that he’s played.” Garner would add, “we do have rules, and we have to manage through that as well.” We don’t know what decision the league will come to regarding Messi and Alba, but at this present moment it sounds like they might be available this weekend.
Now despite all the Messi and Alba drama from the All Star game, Miami are coming into the weekend off an impressive performance last time out. This past weekend, Inter Miami put a 5-1 beatdown on New York Red Bulls in New Jersey. After falling behind early, Miami scored five goals, finishing with that 5-1 scoreline.
The 5-1 win was a great response after getting outclassed in Cincinnati in the previous match. Now the Heron’s set their sights once again on the team sitting atop the Supporters’ Shield standings: FC Cincinnati. Miami needs a win to get back into the Supporters’ Shield race. They currently sit seven points behind FCC, but they also have three matches in hand.
The players to watch are going to be the usual suspects for Miami. Messi is playing out of his mind right now. The Argentine was kept quiet in Cincinnati, but he is still one of the hottest players in the league. In his past five matches, Messi has scored eight goals and has two assists. The only club to not have him score a brace against them in those five matches is FCC. Telasco Segovic is coming off his best performance of the season. The young Venezuelan scored two goals against NYRB bringing his season total up to eight goals. While he has been quiet, Luis Suárez is always a looming threat that has to be watched at all times. He’s a strong force and has great chemistry with Messi, Sergio Busquets, and Jordi Alba. FCC will need to watch him closely again this weekend.
FC Cincinnati
FC Cincinnati will be looking to hold their grip of the top spot in the Supporters’ Shield race with a win over Miami this weekend. The Orange and Blue scratched out a gritty 1-0 win in Salt Lake City this past weekend with Luca Orellano providing the decisive goal late in the second half. A lot of the normal starters rested at the start of that match against Real Salt Lake, but many came on as subs in the second half at various times to push FCC across the line.
The biggest challenge for FCC this weekend is finding a way to beat Inter Miami for the second time in just 10 days. Miami will have the tape to study all the tactics used to slow down the dynamic Miami attack. Pat Noonan is going to have to come up with a similar tactical approach that has some different ideas to slow down Messi and company again.
FCC also come into this match in great form. The club picked up their league-leading eighth victory on the road this past weekend. This club has been far and away the best team away from home in MLS this season, and last as well. FCC has not lost a match away from TQL Stadium since May 25th in Atlanta. This kind of stellar record away from home does not happen by accident, and is clearly a big part of this club’s identity.
Evander is of course the first pick for FCC players to watch. This showdown with fellow MVP candidate Messi could be a big signature win for either one of the players this weekend. Evander’s scoring streak of five matches was broken against RSL, but other than Messi, you won’t find a better midfielder in the league this season. He’s scoring basically at will, and is creating multiple chances every single match. Gerardo Valenzuela has been starting in the absence of the injured Kévin Denkey the last two matches. Valenzuela scored in the last match up with Miami and was brilliant all match long. FCC might need him to have another big performance this weekend. Roman Celentano is the last player to watch. Celentano was named to MLS team of the match week after a stellar performance against RSL. Celentano ended the match with seven saves, some of which were outstanding.
What to expect
This match is no doubt a massive one for both sides. A win for FCC would give them a head to head tiebreaker abasing Inter Miami at the end of the season, which they might need with how tight the race is at the top of the standings. Inter Miami has three matches in hand on all the clubs above them, but they still need to start closing the seven-point gap that stands between them and FCC. A win this weekend going into the Leagues Cup would be a nice start for them.
Inter Miami are still going to be without their top two goalkeepers Drake Callender and Oscar Ustari. Rocco Ríos Novo will likely be the man between the pipes this weekend. Novo gave up what some would consider a weak goal in the previous match after coming on for the injured Ustari.
This is a match that could absolutely go either way; it could also ended in a draw. With the injuries to Inter Miami’s starting keepers, FCC has a slight edge, and when two equally matched sides play in close succession, it’s the small things that can turn the tide.
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