Lionel Messi and company look to rebound after two straight draws in MLS play
Lionel Messi and Inter Miami will look to return to the win column on Matchday 9 and gain some confidence ahead of their Concacaf Champions Cup semifinal against Yet, Columbus are no pushover in MLS. The reigning Leagues Cup champions have enjoyed a spell of club success over the last several years, winning the 2023 MLS Cup and last year's Leagues Cup, while also making a run to the 2024 Champions Cup Final.
JOIN SI SOCCER'S INTER MIAMI WHATSAPP COMMUNITY - GET ALL THE LATEST NEWS AND ANALYSIS STRAIGHT TO YOUR PHONE The match won't be at Columbus' regular home pitch, Lower.com Field, though, with organizers moving the game to the home of the NFL's Cleveland Browns and laying out temporary grass for the match. Heading into Saturday, Inter Miami sit fourth in the Eastern Conference on 12 points through seven matches, while Columbus lead the East with eight points in eight games. JOIN SI SOCCER'S INTER MIAMI WHATSAPP COMMUNITY - GET ALL THE LATEST NEWS AND ANALYSIS STRAIGHT TO YOUR PHONELAFC 1–0 Inter Miami - 4/2/2025Inter Miami have gone seven games unbeaten to start the 2025 MLS regular season under head coach Javier Mascherano, yet they are in a relative downspell for the club after two straight draws against teams that failed to make the 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs. Lionel Messi nearly won the match from two free-kick chances against Chicago Fire FC, but Miami struggled to produce attacks outside of those moments, with Chicago outshooting the Herons 7–3 throughout the afternoon. This week will be a test for Mascherano, who may need to rotate his lineup from the previous two games, not only to make changes towards winning on Sunday, but to also conserve energy for the Concacaf Champions Cup semifinals against the top MLS team, Vancouver Whitecaps later in the week. However, the rookie Argentine head coach has not rested players in the past and appears unlikely to this time either, especially given the 67,000+ fans that will pack into the stadium to see many of his squad's stars. Expect to see the foursome of Messi, Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba and Luis Suárez all start, even if their minutes are limited. Additionally, Tomas Aviles and Maxi Falcon seem destined to retain their spots in the heart of defence as two of the most signficant contributors this season, while Oscar Ustari likely starts in goal after seemingly claiming the No. 1 position over Drake Callender.Led by head coach Wilfried Nancy, Columbus Crew SC have been one of the most consistent MLS teams through the last several years, but will have to adjust to playing their home match over 150 miles away from home. Still, Nancy's squads have a defined style that focuses on a central attack, and will likely further benefit from Daniel Gazdag's involvement, after he made his Crew debut in last week's loss to St. Louis CITY following his transfer from the Gazdag, a 29-year-old Slovakian attacking midfielder, helps the Crew return to a similar level they were at before Cucho Hernandez left for La Liga. He is joined by leading scorer Jacen Russell-Rowe up top, who has three goals and an assist, as well as MLS veteran Diego Rossi. Rossi, in particular, will be a threat against Miami's backline, having broken down some of the league's best defenses through his tenure with LAFC and Columbus. This season, he has five goals in eight games. JOIN SI SOCCER'S MLS WHATSAPP COMMUNITY - GET ALL THE LATEST NEWS AND ANALYSIS STRAIGHT TO YOUR PHONE If there's any team that can give Inter Miami their first loss of the season, it's Columbus, and that's what they'll try to do this weekend, even if they will have to take on a lengthy drive home afterwards. "I understand why the club decided . It would’ve been surprising if we don’t do it, because other clubs did it,” Nancy said. “The players know that. I will not put the focus on that because I know we’re going to play kind of an away home game. This is the reality. We will try to do everything to have a good performance.”: Schulte; Moreira, Zawadzki, Amundsen; Farsi; Nagbe, Gazdag, Jackson; Rossi, Arfsten, Russell-RoweInter Miami CF will like that they had a whole week off after balancing several competitions to start the season. Still, without any squad rotation, it will likely be another match where they struggle to take complete control. However,BEN STEINER 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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