What you need to know as Inter Miami opens MLS playoffs Monday on the road vs. NYCFC
Inter Miami opens the MLS playoffs Monday night on the road against defending league champion New York City FC. The team hotel is smack in the middle of the Theater District, which is befitting for a drama-filled season that saw Miami rise from the Eastern Conference basement to sixth place.
Now that they reached the postseason, the Men in Pink are determined to extend their run on the soccer stage.
“For the team to be able to achieve its first run in playoffs is a tremendous step forward for the club,” midfielder Bryce Duke said at the hotel Sunday afternoon before the team headed to training. “Everyone’s stoked to be here. We’re focused on what we have to do to get to the next round. We’re ready for the challenge.”
Both teams have been in good form of late. New York won its past four games. Miami won four in a row to clinch the playoff spot and then dropped the season finale against second-place Montreal.
As the No. 3 seed, New York has home-field advantage, although Yankee Stadium, the team’s home, is not available due to the MLB playoffs. So, the game will be played at the Mets’ Citi Field in Queens (7 p.m., FS1, Fox Deportes).
For the “Boys in Blue,” as NYCFC players are known, a playoff game is nothing new. They have made the postseason seven years running, the league’s second longest active consecutive streak behind the New York Red Bulls (12 years).
For Miami this is the first time in a true playoff game. The 2020 team finished in 10th place, good enough for a spot in the play-in game of an expanded playoff format due to the pandemic.
Because it is a single-elimination format, the games cannot end in ties. If the score is tied after regulation, the teams play two 15-minute extra time periods. It is not sudden death; they play the full 30 minutes. If it is still tied, the winner is decided with a penalty kick shootout.
Inter Miami is preparing for all eventualities, practicing for extra time and penalty kicks.
Out of their six matchups, NYCFC has won five. Miami won their most recent game 3-2 on Aug. 13 at DRV PNK Stadium. Alejandro Pozuelo scored two goals in that game, Ariel Lassiter one.
Miami is extra motivated to win for Gonzalo Higuain, who is retiring after the season. The Argentine forward was benched and booed early in the year but had a resurgence and ended the season with a team-leading 16 goals, including 14 over the past 16 games. He is a finalist for MLS Comeback Player of the Year.
After recent practices and games, his teammates chant “Gon-za-lo! Hi-gua-in! Gon-za-lo! Hi-gua-in!”
“Winning for Gonzalo is definitely on everyone’s mind,” Duke said. “He’s had an amazing career so being able to help him and be part of that, to see him go out with a win and possibly lifting that MLS Cup trophy would definitely be something special for us and for him.”
As a playmaker, it is Duke’s job to get Higuain the ball in scoring positions.
“It’s not hard to get Gonzalo involved because he’s one of those guys who always wants the ball and the way the game develops the ball just kind of finds him,” Duke said. “My job is putting him in easier situations for him to score. That’s why Pozuelo and I have so many assists because we find situations to put Gonzalo in and he puts it in the back of the net.”
Team captain Gregore added: “Gonzalo inspires us. He wants to win for us and we all see how hard he trains, how much he wants to win and it is inevitable that we are motivated to do the same and win for him. Winning a trophy next to Gonzalo would be incredible.”
New York coach Nick Cushing said although they beat Miami 2-0 at home, he felt his team gave the visitors too much space.
“[Miami] got a few looks where Higuain got into places where he didn’t score then, but I think now he scores because he’s in a really good moment and looks really sharp,” Cushing said. “Once you give him chances game after game he gets on a run and gets really, really dangerous and he’s definitely on that run. The team is really well-coached and creating him a lot of chances and he’s a killer in the box. We have to deny.”
NYCFC has a home record of 10-3-4 this season and has been led by Gabriel Pereira (8 goals, 4 assists) and Heber (8 goals).
This story was originally published October 16, 2022 at 5:58 PM.