Game Day Hub: NYCFC vs Inter Miami at DRV PNK Stadium

Welcome to Matchday 32, which has New York City FC jetting down to Florida to take on Inter Miami at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale. Miami grabbed headlines when they signed a certain Argentine international, but the team haven’t been the same since Gonzalo Higuain left at the end of last season. We kid! Here is your NYCFC vs Inter Miami Game Day Hub.

Game Day Essentials

• Matchday 32: NYCFC vs Inter Miami
• Date and Time: Saturday, September 30, 7:30 pm ET
• Kickoff Time: 7:39 pm ET
• Venue: DRV PNK Stadium
• Forecast: Hot, humid, rainy, tropical 82˚F/28˚C
• Watch: Apple TV
• Apple Broadcast Team: Steve Cangialosi, Danny Higginbotham, Katie Witham (sideline reporter)
• Listen: English and Spanish broadcasts on NYCFC Radio
• Officiating Crew: Victor Rivas (referee), Kevin Klinger, Eric Weisbrod (assistant referees), Luis Diego Arroyo (fourth official), Jose Carlos Rivero (VAR), Jozef Batko (assistant VAR)

NYCFC vs Miami preview

New York City are in their best form of the season. The team have taken 11 out of a possible 15 points in their last five games, and climbed up into the playoff zone with Sunday’s win over Toronto FC. Give credit to the offense, which is scoring, and the defense, which is the best in MLS right now.

Miami are less sure of themselves. The team was reborn after signing Lionel Messi and hiring head coach Tata Martino, to say nothing of bringing in players such as Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets, and Facundo Farias. But they remain well out of the playoff zone, and injuries to Messi and Alba have hobbled the team.

Ten days ago, a high-flying Miami dispatched Toronto FC by the score of 4-0. But a resolute Orlando City drew a Messi-less Miami on Sunday, and a sharp Houston Dynamo beat them in the 2023 US Open Cup Final on Wednesday. Miami are good, but they’re vulnerable.

NYCFC vs Miami H2H

The head-to-head between the two clubs reflects the fortunes of Miami since they joined the league in 2020: NYCFC have lost only one game out of eight played. That single loss came in the summer of 2022, when a stumbling NYCFC was taken down by Alejandro Pozuelo.

But it’s hard to take anything from this history: Neither of the squads that play today resemble the ones that lined up against each other in March, never mind in past years.

NYCFC

• Player Availability: Maxi Moralez is out for the season after injuring his ACL, Alfredo Morales is still dealing with an adductor problem, and Keaton Parks and Richy Ledezma are coming back from ankle injuries and (in Ledezma’s case) suspension. Third keeper Cody Mizell has also been out with an injury for multiple match days.
• Mitja Ilenič is one yellow card away from sitting out a game due to yellow card accumulation.
• Will we see Mounsef Bakrar and Talles Magno in the Starting XI again? They did some damage on Sunday against Toronto, even if Baki didn’t have the best game.
• The playoff picture is taking shape. NYCFC fans will want their team to win, and other certain teams to draw or lose: We have the full guide of who to watch and root for this weekend in MLS right here.
• The official Hudson River Blue NYCFC Playoff Tracker jumped another three points after the soggy 3-0 win over Toronto on Sunday, and now stands at 37 points on the season with the team just inside the playoff zone.

Inter Miami

• Player Availability: Jordi Alba is out, and Lionel Messi is questionable. DeAndre Yedlin is suspended due to yellow card accumulation. Miami has a group of long-term injured players that includes Ian Fray, Gregore, Franco Negri, and Corentin Jean.
• Miami are a tired team.
• Messi’s status is uncertain, with Martino saying after the Open Cup Final “Yes, he’ll likely play before the league ends. We’ll go game-by-game, defining the situation to see in what moment the medical staff tells us he’s in conditions to play without risking it.”
• You can read more about the team in Oppo Research: 5 Things about Inter Miami.

Inter Miami Predicted Starting XI