PREVIEW: Inter Miami rests its stars today against FC Dallas
The Herons have a must-win Concacaf Champions Cup semifinal match against Vancouver coming up Friday. None of Miami’s ‘Big Four’ will start, and only Sergio Busquets is on the bench.
Inter Miami starters Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi will miss today’s FC Dallas match to be fresh for Wednesday’s decisive second-leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup semifinal against the Vancouver Whitecaps. PHOTO: Agence France-Presse
Herons look past Dallas to Cup tie
Inter Miami CF wants — maybe needs — to win the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup. And that may require them to sacrifice today’s Major League Soccer regular season match.
The Herons (5-0-3, 18 points) host FC Dallas (3-3-3, 12 points) at 5 p.m. ET today as the only team with an undefeated record in MLS play, but their sights are set squarely on Wednesday’s decisive second-leg Champions Cup semifinal tie against the Vancouver Whitecaps.
Lionel Messi, Jordi Alba and Luis Suarez will watch their teammates from the stands and Sergio Busquets will start the match on the bench.
• WHO: Inter Miami CF vs. FC Dallas
• WHAT: Major League Soccer regular season match
• WHEN: 5 p.m. ET Sunday
• WHERE: Chase Stadium, Fort Lauderdale
• TV: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV+
• RADIO: Inter Miami — ESPN 106.3 FM (English), Deportes Radio 760 AM (Spanish)
• RADIO: Dallas — 105.3 FM The Fan, Talk Radio 1190 AM (English), TUDN Radio Dallas 1270 AM (Spanish)
Miami starts in a 5-4-1 formation
With his key veterans taking the match off, Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano is switching from the familiar 4-2-3-1 to a more defensive 5-4-1.
Three-year starter Drake Callender, who lost his job to Oscar Ustari in the preseason, will start in goal. Defensive backs David Martinez, Maxi Falcon, Gonzalo Lujan, Tomas Aviles and Ian Fray will form the five-man back line.
The midfield includes Leo Afonso and Fafa Picault on the wings with Yannick Bright and Benjamin Cremaschi in the middle. Striker Allen Obando gets his first-ever MLS start as the lone striker.
Champions Cup survival at stake
Vancouver (6-1-3, 21 points) beat Inter Miami 2-0 in Thursday’s first leg of the semifinal at BC Place, giving the Western Conference and Supporters Shield leaders a 2-0 aggregate lead. The Pink & Black need three goals and a clean sheet at home to punch their ticket to the Champions Cup final; a 2-0 Miami victory would tie the aggregate score at 2-2, and the sides would play two 15-minute extra-time periods to break the deadlock. If, after 120 minutes, the match is still tied, a penalty shootout will decide who wins the semifinal.
To make matters more challenging, Concacaf uses away goals as the first tiebreaker in Champions Cup matches. Miami was blanked in Vancouver, so Inter Miami must score three more goals than the Whitecaps to win the semifinal. For example, if Inter Miami wins today’s match 3-1, the aggregate score would be 3-3. But Vancouver would have scored an away goal, winning the tiebreaker 1-0; Miami would need a 4-1 victory to avoid elimination.
Why the Champions Cup matters
Inter Miami ownership — soccer icon David Beckham and billionaire brothers Jorge and Jose Mas — have made no secret of their intention to create a North American organization to rival the greatest global brands, and they’ve proven that intention by signing Messi & Friends. Now, they desperately need proof of concept: titles, trophies, respect.
The Concacaf Champions Cup, the most prestigious club competition in Central and North America and the Caribbean Islands, has been dominated since its 1962 inception by Mexican teams. Only three U.S.-based teams have won it: D.C. United in 1998, Los Angeles Galaxy in 2000 and Seattle Sounders in 2022. Inter Miami wants to be the fourth.