Record (W-L-D), Points, and Last 5 Results
Atlanta United: 3-4-2 (11 pts) Form – LWLDD
- Columbus Crew (Disney Bubble): Lost 1-0
- Nashville (H): Won 2-0
- Orlando City (H): Lost 1-3
- Inter Miami (H): Tied 0-0
- Orlando City (A): Tied 1-1
Inter Miami CF: 1-6-2 (5 pts) Form – LWLDD
- NYCFC (Disney Bubble): Lost 1-0
- Orlando City (H): Won 3-2
- Nashville (A): Lost 1-0
- Atlanta United (A): Tied 0-0
- Nashville (H): Tied 0-0
Possible Absences:
Atlanta United:
- Josef Martinez (Injury – ACL)
- Fernando Meza (Injury -Knee)
- Franco Escobar (Suspended/Yellow Card accumulation)
Inter Miami CF:
- George Acosta (Knee)
- David Norman Jr. (Ankle)
Predicted Starting XIs:
Atlanta United (4-3-3)
- Brad Guzan
- George Bello, Miles Robinson, Anton Walkes, Brooks Lennon
- Eric Remedi, Emerson Hyndman, Mattheus Rossetto
- Ezequiel Barco, Jurgen Damm, Erick “Cubo” Torres
Inter Miami CF (4-2-3-1)
- Luis Robles
- Ben Sweat, Leandro Gonzalez-Pirez, Andres Reyes, Jorge Figal
- Blaise Matuidi, Wil Trapp
- Matias Pellegrini, Rodolfo Pizarro, Lewis Morgan
- Julian Carranza
On Wednesday, Atlanta United take on Inter Miami CF at Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, at 8pm Eastern Time. The game is a makeup for the game on August 26 that was postponed for the strong message of a BLM boycott.
The teams played out a rather dull 0-0 draw just a week ago. In between that game and now, Atlanta United drew with Orlando in dramatic fashion. A 92nd minute goal from Adam Jahn had some Atlanta fans viewing the game as a win. Inter Miami had another 0-0 draw, this time against Nashville. A game with tons of missed opportunities from both sides.
The main differences from their last game on September 2, is the absence of Franco Escobar for Atlanta United, who is suspended due to an accumulation of yellow cards, and the inclusion of new signing and World Cup champion Blaise Matuidi for Miami.
Blaise Matuidi will bring a huge increase in quality in the middle of the field. A player who just last year was playing for top European and Italian side Juventus. It will be interesting to see how they use him against Atlanta and how Atlanta’s midfield deals with him as well.
It’s hard to argue that both teams come into this match struggling for one reason or another. Inter Miami are on a run of 270+ minutes of goalless soccer. Their last goal was scored against Orlando on August 22. This problem has been anything but due to a lack of chances. Miami have had tons of chances and with better finishing they could easily have won all three games since their win against Orlando. However, their finishing hasn’t been there, and they’ll look to change that against Atlanta. Atlanta on the other hand have had some similar but also different problems. Their defense hasn’t quite been as solid as Miami’s, allowing Orlando to score four goals in two games on them. And if Miami’s finishing was better in their 0-0 draw, it could easily have been more. On top of that Atlanta have only scored two goals in the last three games. However, with Miami sitting at the bottom of MLS, Atlanta might see this as an opportunity to get back on track.
To do that the team is going to have to rely heavily on the only healthy Designated Player (DP) on the roster, Ezequiel Barco. He’s going to have to step up his game to another level while Atlanta continues its search for a new coach and now a new DP, while the seemingly endless wait for Josef Martinez to be fit continues. On top of this, new acquisitions like Mattheus Rossetto, Jurgen Damm, Erick “Cubo” Torres, Adam Jahn, and Brooks Lennon will have to take as much weight off Barco as possible. Whether that be by scoring goals or creating them, others need to step up in this time of uncertainty and small transition.
My Prediction: Inter Miami 1 – 2 Atlanta United
I think Inter Miami continues to create tons of chances and finally end their goal drought, especially with Blaise Matuidi running things in the middle against a so far weak Atlanta midfield. However, I also think Ezequiel Barco plays the full 90 minutes for the first time under Stephen Glass, and has a star performance that leads him and Atlanta to a win in Fort Lauderdale.
The “Possible Absences” and “Starting XI” portions of the article will be updated as necessary up until starting lineups are announced