Inter Miami look to string back-to-back wins together, but defensive injuries could hurt the Herons this weekend.
While an MLS match, the contest pits the two most recent Leagues Cup champions against each other with Miami winning in 2023 and Columbus in 2024. At the same time, head coach Wilfried Nancy’s Crew have been one of the premier teams inMiami enter the match sixth in the Eastern Conference, but with some recent confidence.
Not only did they manage to get back to winning ways against Montréal, but they also got braces from Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez who had struggled in recent games. It marks Suárez’s third and fourth goals of the season, while Messi became the first Inter Miami player to put up 50 goal contributions in regular season play, also finding the back of the net in consecutive games.Earlier in the year, Miami defeated Columbus 1–0 in Cleveland, Ohio, despite the Crew having more chances in that game.Inter Miami 4–2 CF Montréal - 5/28/2025Charlotte FC 3–2 Columbus Crew SC - 5/24/2025San Jose Earthquakes 3–3 Inter Miami - 5/14/2025 Lionel Messi scored a brace for the Herons in their 4–2 win over CF Montreal / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images Inter Miami will hope their form is on the consistent upswing over the next few weeks in MLS play, as they ramp up for theAlthough a win over Montreal was a good boost, it came against a team struggling to find their footing at the bottom of the Eastern Conference table. Columbus offer a much more significant challenge, and are a team that will want to take three points.Miami demonstrated that they can compete with the best in the conference, mustering a late comeback to tie 3–3 with theDespite Miami’s defensive struggles, they re-signed goalkeeper Oscar Ustari this week, becoming the latest veteran to ink an extension afterInjuries, however, continue to ravage potential key players. The Herons will miss Jordi Alba and Yannick Bright after they picked up a hamstring injury against Montreal and Philadelphia, while Baltasar Rodriguez, David Ruiz and Gonzalo Lujan also remain out. With a win, Miami could move as high as third in the Eastern Conference, should other results fall in their favor.Daniel Gazdag will hope to lead Columbus Crew SC back to the win column against Miami on Saturday night. / Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images Columbus Crew SC sit just two points in front of Miami in the table, and look to return to winning ways after four draws and a loss in their last five matches. At the same time, they will be hopeful for a result, given their previous performance against Miami. In that previous matchup, Columbus outshot Miami 16-7 and had far greater opportunities, posting 2.94 xG to Miami’s .86. Led by an attacking trio of Daniel Gazdag, Diego Rossi and one of Jacen Russell-Rowe or Ibrahim Aliyu, the Crew have an attack that should strike concern into Miami’s defense, especially with Rossi posting three goals and eight assists this season. Additionally, the Crew will continue to rely on midfielders Max Arfsten and Darlington Nagbe, two key pieces in their setup. The former has recently been linked with moves overseas and is set to play for the Although the Crew’s attack has scored 26 goals, their defense has been astute, conceding just 19 goals, which ranks third in the conference. Yet, they have not kept a clean sheet in 11 matches. The Crew will have to turn to backup goalkeeper Nicholas Hagen in net, with USMNT goalkeeper and first-choice option Patrick Schulte sidelined with an injury. Meanwhile, wing-back Mohamed Farsi and centerbacks Rudi Camacho and Sean Zawadzki are also dealing with ailments.Hagen; Moreira, Cheberko, Amundsen; Herrera, Chambost, Nagbe, Arfsten; Rossi, Gazdag; AliyuFinally playing with some confidence, Inter Miami will hope to link back-to-back wins for the first time since March. With Suárez finding his finishing touch up top and Messi continuing his stellar play, they should have no issues finding some goals against a Schulte-less Columbus. Yet, any result for Miami would have to come with an improvement in their defense, which won't have a consistent member in Lujan, to shut down the Crew's experienced attackers.Ben Steiner is an American-Canadian journalist who brings in-depth experience, having covered the North American national teams, MLS, CPL, NWSL, NSL and Liga MX for prominent outlets, including MLSsoccer.com, CBC Sports, and OneSoccer.
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