In this edition of Oppo Research, Hudson River Blue spoke with Alex Windley of The Heron's Nest to learn more about Inter Miami, New York City FC's opponent to open the 2025 MLS season on Saturday afternoon. Here is your NYCFC vs Inter Miami preview.
Inter Miami at a Glance
• MLS Record (2024): 22W, 8D, 4L | 74 points, 1st place
• Scoring Leaders (2024): Luis Suárez and Lionel Messi, 21 goals
• Assist Leader (2024): Lionel Messi and Jordi Alba, 11 assists
1. MLS Cup or bust for Inter Miami
Hudson River Blue: Inter Miami is set for its first season under new head coach Javier Mascherano. Despite winning the Supporters' Shield last season, Miami still underperformed its expectations after losing in Round One of the MLS Cup playoffs. With Mascherano at the helm, how can Miami compensate for last season’s disappointment and win MLS Cup?
Alex Windley: Listening to Mascherano's introductory press conference, and I think he knows that it's MLS Cup or bust this year. He specifically said he watched all of the games from last year to identify what went wrong. In order to redeem the sins of Inter Miami’s past, they must make a deep run into the playoffs.
2. Inter Miami's depth
HRB: Miami brought back their stars in Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez, and Jordi Alba, but lost key players in Diego Gómez and Leonardo Campana. How much will Miami’s lack of depth affect the club throughout the season?
AW: I do think they did well to bring in more depth this offseason. Yes, they lost Campana, Gomez, and Rojas, but they've brought in the likes of Tadeo Allende, Telasco Segovia, Maxi Falcon, Fafa Picault, and Gonzalo Luján, reports are also linking them to midfielder Baltasar Rodriguez from Racing Club.
On top of that, Miami is bringing back a fully fit Leo Afonso, they'll get big minutes from Benjamin Cremaschi and David Ruiz, and Academy product Santiago Morales (who will probably sign a first-team contract sooner rather than later) looked sharp in preseason. So, while the losses on paper seem steep, I do think Miami will have tons of depth heading into this year.
3. A successful preseason
HRB: How do you rate Miami’s preseason thus far, and what have you taken away from it?
AW: I'd rate it an 8! No significant injuries, the travel wasn't too bad, and they also went undefeated.
4. The X-Factor: Chance-creation
HRB: What’s the X-factor that could decide this game?
AW: If Miami can consistently create chances. This preseason they did have trouble finding the back of the net, at times, but with the more games they play, that sharpness will come. Of course, the X factor will be Messi, and his ability to provide for his teammates and score.
5. Predicted score, Starting XI
HRB: Prediction time: Starting XI? Final score?
AW: Final score: 3-2 Miami. NYCFC will get two goals through Alonso Martínez, who was so good in preseason for City.
