It's Matchday 6, and New York City FC are in Miami Ft. Lauderdale to face an Inter Miami that have the most lethal attack in MLS.
• Matchday 6: New York City FC vs Inter Miami CF
• Date and Time: Saturday, March 30, 7:30 pm ET
• Venue: Chase Stadium in Ft. Lauderdale
• Forecast: Seasonably warm, rising humidity, 72F/22C
• Watch: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV
• Apple Broadcast Team: Tyler Terens and Kyndra de st Aubi, Alejandro Figueredo and Eduardo Biscayar (Spanish)
• New York City FC Radio: Glenn Crooks and Matt Lawrence (English), Roberto Abramowitz and Ariel Judas (Spanish)
• Officiating Crew: Filip Dujic (referee), Corey Parker and Kevin Klinger (assistant referees), Sergii Demianchuk (fourth official), Kevin Stott (VAR), Joshua Patlak (assistant VAR)
Or do they? Miami suffered a humiliating 4-0 defeat to the New York Red Bulls last week while Lionel Messi was recovering from a hamstring injury. The GOAT won't be in the lineup today, along with seven other players — including three central defenders (see below).
New York City are healthier, but not by much: Five players are unavailable this game.
With so many key players missing, the injury list just might be the deciding factor in this edition of the Gender Reveal Derby. Read on for more.
New York City vs Miami H2H
| GP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 20 | 8 | 12 |
The head-to-head reflects New York City's historic dominance of Miami. The Heron's lone win took place way back in August 2022, when a New York City that had just lost Taty Castellanos fell to a Miami that had just signed NYCFC killer Alejandro Pozuelo.
When these two teams faced each other last September, New York City gave away a stoppage-time goal to Miami — the 1-1 draw arguably sunk NYCFC's chances of making the playoffs. But there was redemption in November, when New York City held on to beat Miami in the Noche d'Or, the second-most important soccerball competition in North America after The Soccer Tournament — which kicks off in June by the way.
New York City FC
• Player availability: Forward Talles Magno (knee), striker Jovan Mijatović (international duty), midfielder Maxi Moralez (ACL), left-back Kevin O'Toole (concussion), and center-back Birk Risa (leg) are unavailable.
• There's a good chance we'll see left-back Christian McFarlane make his MLS debut tonight. The highly-regarded 17-year-old is being linked to a transfer to Manchester City, but the rumored deal will keep him at New York City through the end of the season — and the injury to O'Toole means he's the only pure left-back on the squad who's available to play.
• New York City will be in black tonight, wearing their super-hottt 24/7 Kit.
Inter Miami
• Player availability: Midfielder Benjamin Cremaschi (hernia), striker Facundo Farias (cruciate ligament), center-back Ian Fray (cruciate ligament), center-back Nicolas Freire (hamstring), center-back Sergii Kryvstov (hamstring), attacker Lionel Messi (hamstring), midfielder Federico Redondo (lateral collateral ligament), and winger Robbie Robinson (knee) are unavailable. Defender Tomás Avilés (leg) is questionable.
🚨⚽️ 🐐 Lionel Messi will not play tomorrow vs NYCFC, team hopes to have him back for Champions Cup game v Monterrey next Wednesday, per asst coach Javi Morales. @HeraldSports @MiamiHerald @InterMiamiCF #InterMiamiCF #Messi𓃵 #MLS
— Michelle Kaufman (@kaufsports) March 29, 2024
• We'll do the math for you: Miami will be missing six starters.
• But Miami are a deep team, and can still field a Starting XI that can compete with the best in MLS. (See below.)
• Another factor: Miami play CF Monterrey in the CONCACAF Champions Cup next Wednesday. Will head coach Tata Martino keep his powder dry, and rest his best players for the prestigious and lucrative tournament?
• We spoke to Michelle Kaufman of the Miami Herald to learn more about a Miami that are dangerous with or without Lionel Messi. You can read more at Oppo Research: 5 Things about Inter Miami.
Inter Miami Predicted Starting XI
