After being pushed to the brink by FC Dallas and surviving a penalty shootout to make it to the last eight of Leagues Cup, Inter Miami were able to survive adversity and advance, with the help of another two goals from Lionel Messi, of course. But while Messi has been excellent, in each match his supporting cast has helped too as 18-year-old Benjamin Cremaschi was able to score a goal and the shootout-deciding penalty now giving Miami a shot at Charlotte FC.
Able to overturn a second-half deficit against the Houston Dynamo, Charlotte are a team that have been able to score with ease and press against their opposition which could give Miami some issues in the match. With how the midfield performed against Dallas, Tata Martino is expected to make adjustments and those will be critical to how Miami responds to teams gaining more tape on them.
Stopping Messi is certainly a challenge for any team but if opponents can exploit the midfield to stop service to Messi, that’s where there is room to prey on the weak defense of the Herons.
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Here’s our storylines, how you can watch the match and more:
How to watch and odds
- Date: Friday, Aug. 11 | Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
- Location: DRV PNK Stadium — Fort Lauderdale, Florida
- TV: None | Live stream: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV
Storylines
Inter Miami: It could be time for Martino to roll out a back three to unleash Jordi Alba. With Alba not defending much, it created space that Dallas could exploit when Kamal Miller stepped forward but the Herons can compensate for that by adding another defender into the mix. This could also allow Sergio Busquets more time on the ball while helping set up the Miami attack. Leonardo Campana is another player who could find themselves in the lineup after a strong appearance from the bench spelling Josef Martinez. Despite getting service from Messi, Martinez has struggled in Leagues Cup and could do with a game or two coming off of the bench.
Charlotte FC: Looking at what Dallas were able to do, Charlotte will be able to give Miami pressure in the game but it’s hard to tell if that alone will be enough from stopping the Herons from scoring four goals. When the best performance against Miami still saw the Herons advance it can make teams wonder how Messi can be stopped. The short answer is that he can’t be but Miami can’t defend Karol Swiderski either. If Charlotte can keep the pressure up, this is a winnable match.
Prediction
Another game and more goals from Messi as Inter Miami win another thrilling match. Pick: Inter Miami 4, Charlotte FC 2
