What to know as Inter Miami ends three-week break with road game at Atlanta Sunday
Soccer news has been dominating the South Florida headlines the past few days with Miami being named a 2026 World Cup venue, and Inter Miami hopes to ride that wave of excitement heading into its road game Sunday against Atlanta United.
It will be Miami’s first game in 22 days as Major League Soccer was on hiatus for a FIFA international break. Kickoff is at 3 p.m. at Mercedes Benz Stadium, where United leads MLS in attendance with an average of 46,239 fans per game. ESPN2 is televising the match.
Miami was on a four-game unbeaten streak heading into the break with two ties and a pair of wins, including a 2-1 home win over Portland on May 28 with goals by Leo Campana and Robert Taylor. Campana, who played for Ecuador’s national team during the FIFA break, leads Miami with seven MLS goals and an eighth in the U.S. Open Cup.
“I think the break came at a good time, we really needed it,” said Miami coach Phil Neville. “The boys are itching to get back playing. We did some really good things before the break; we showed some really good qualities, had some really good performances, but now I feel like this is where the marathon starts.”
Miami and Atlanta are jockeying for positing in the standings, both just a few spots below the seventh-place playoff line. Miami (5-6-3) is in ninth place with 18 points and Atlanta (4-5-4) is in 11th with 16 points.
“There’s a big stretch now where we’ve got to get points and climb that table. Now is the time to concentrate, keep focused, keep together.”
Forward Gonzalo Higuain, who has been coming off the bench as Campana displaced him in the starting lineup, is eager to get back to the field.
“I think the break helps to rest and train and adjust to anything we need to improve on,” Higuain said. “The upcoming month is going to be very competitive. We are going to need to be fresh mentally and have energy in our legs because we have a lot of matches coming up.”
Midfielder Bryce Duke, a 21-year-old who joined the team this season from Los Angeles FC, has become a key part of the attack. He says the team is ready to continue the success
Five players are returning for national team duty – Campana, Taylor (Finland), Joevin Jones (Trinidad and Tobago), Damion Lowe (Jamaica), and DeAndre Yedlin (USA).
“Having that break is a good thing and a bad thing,” Duke said. “We were in form going into the break, so that’s always tough to put that on pause. We’re getting our rhythm back. Atlanta is a good team with a big stadium, good fan base, but we don’t get intimidated by that.”
Atlanta will be without its coach Gonzalo Pineda and playmaker Thiago Almada, both of whom are serving suspensions after being booked with red cards in their last MLS match against the Columbus Crew.
All eight meetings between the teams have resulted in draws or one-goal differentials. The first time they played this season, on Apr. 24, Atlanta scored first, and Miami rallied to win 2-1 at home. Pineda expects another tough game from Miami.
“They are a team that has belief,” he said of Inter Miami. “They’re very well organized, very well-coached, so it’s going to be a difficult task for us.”
Neville and his players are energized by the Miami 2026 World Cup bid.
“You think about the biggest thing in the world, and that’s World Cup futbol, and it’s coming to South Florida,” Neville said. “We had Roberto Carlos here, and Ronaldinho, probably one of the greatest players of all time, and they’re playing in our stadium. South Florida is attracting the best players in the world and it makes you very proud to be around the place. Proud moment for this region, and the soccer fans here have something to really look forward to over the next three, four years.”