What you need to know as Inter Miami faces pivotal road game at New York Red Bulls
After a bumpy start to the season, Inter Miami is on a five-game unbeaten streak and finally got above the playoff line last weekend. Now, the challenge is to stay up there.
The next hurdle is a road game Saturday against the fourth-place New York Red Bulls (7 p.m., My33), the first of three consecutive games away from home for sixth-place Miami.
“We’re coming off the back of a really good result last weekend, looking forward to three away games,” Miami coach Phil Neville said. “The last road games we had at San Jose and Montreal gave us a little bit of confidence on the road, our road form wasn’t great [before that]. We’re really looking forward to going to a difficult place in NY Red Bulls. They are above us in the table and having a fantastic season. They are a dangerous team.”
New York is five points ahead of Miami following a 1-1 tie against FC Cincinnati last weekend and a 2-1 road win against Atlanta. Prior to those games, the Red Bulls went winless in five games and conceded 13 goals during that stretch. They also have struggled at home, with no wins at Red Bull Arena in five consecutive matches and three shutouts during that run.
Miami beat New York 2-0 earlier this season at DRV PNK Stadium. Neville expects a different type of game this time.
“It’s no secret they press the ball, they’re high energy, they play direct,” Neville said. “They have quality players in the final third. Early in the season I thought we played really well against them, but it was in the heat [in Fort Lauderdale], slowed them down a little bit. But the two games we had against them last season they really wiped the floor with us. We know what their qualities are, and we’re going to have to produce one of our best performances to get results in the next two games.”
Among the New York players Miami must keep in check is one with a familiar face — former Inter Miami winger Lewis Morgan. The speedy Scotsman leads the Red Bulls and ranks 12th in the league with 11 goals in 25 games. He also has four assists.
Other offensive threats include Patryk Klimala and Luquinhas, who have five goals apiece.
The Red Bulls defense held Cincinnati to just two shots on goal last weekend and have given up no more than one goal in the past four games.
“We expect a very difficult game in New York,” said Miami midfielder Jean Mota, who scored against Toronto last Saturday. “We have great team spirit now, and are playing well, but we have a big responsibility ahead of us. We have eight game left to complete our work and take this club to big places.”
Miami has been in good form of late. The defense has been solid, and the offense is clicking with the addition of Alejandro Pozuelo and a rejuvenated Gonzalo Higuian. Forward Leo Campana, who is tied with Higuian for team lead with eight goals, is still out with a quad injury, but could be back in a few weeks. Coco Jean returns to the active squad, recovered from a groin injury.
“Coco has been fantastic in training this week,” Neville said. “He looks like a real good addition for us.”
With eight games remaining, Miami has 36 points, tied with fifth place Orlando in the East, but Orlando gets the edge on head-to-head. Columbus, Miami’s next road opponent, is just behind with 35 points and New England and Cincinnati are tied with 34 points. The race for the final playoff spots will likely go down to the wire.
“The next three away games will probably define our season,” Neville said. “We keep saying that, but the clock’s ticking. We have to pick up points on the road. We came away with four points (San Jose, Montreal on the last road trip) and over the next three games we need to start amassing points again to keep us in that pack that’s chasing that playoff position.”
This story was originally published August 26, 2022 at 10:48 AM.