A playoff berth will be up for grabs on Wednesday when Inter Miami and Orlando City square off at DRV PNK Stadium, as a win for either would guarantee them an MLS postseason berth.
At the moment, Miami are in the postseason, with three more wins than the Columbus Crew, while the Lions are only ahead of the Herons because of goal difference.
Match preview
© Reuters
As the saying goes, better late than never, which rings true for Phil Neville and his side this year, who scored four minutes from the end, to defeat Toronto 1-0 on Friday.
The former England women's national team manager made a bold decision earlier in the campaign, benching one of Miami's veteran leaders, a move which appears to have brought unity to this group.
The veterans of this squad seem to have heard Neville's message loud and clear, as the Miami star players have stepped up when they needed it most over the past three games.
Not only would a triumph on Wednesday earn them a second-ever trip to the postseason, but it would also extend their winning streak to four games, the longest run in club history.
It has been quite the turnaround for the Herons in 2022, beginning the year without a win in their opening five matches and rarely looking consistent from one game to another until recently.
In seven previous encounters versus their Florida rivals, Miami have won on only two occasions, though they are unbeaten in their last five regular season matches at DRV PNK Stadium.
© Reuters
Another tight match this weekend did not go the Lions' way, as Orlando City are now in a dogfight to remain above the playoff line, currently sixth as they hold a tiebreaker advantage over both the Herons and Columbus Crew.
Their 2-1 defeat versus New York City FC on Sunday was the second time in their previous three matches that the reigning U.S. Open Cup champions had a point in their grasp and let it slip away.
Oscar Pareja has seen his side drop 14 points when holding a second-half advantage on the road this season, conceding two second-half tallies to the Pigeons on Sunday after taking the lead two minutes into half number two.
Orlando City have notched a goal or fewer in 13 road contests this year, losing their last two away games by a combined score of 7-2.
At the same time, they have not allowed multiple goals to Miami in four successive league fixtures, though they have lost in two of their three visits to South Beach.
Pareja has never missed the postseason since becoming the manager two years ago, and a victory on Wednesday would ensure they return to the playoffs for a third successive campaign, while it would also set a single-season franchise record for wins, currently sitting on 13.
Team News
© Reuters
Gonzalo Higuain has emerged as a real difference maker for the Herons since being benched earlier this season, having now scored in four consecutive matches, including the winner in their last three triumphs.
Robert Taylor assisted on his goal in Toronto, and Drake Callender made three saves for his first clean sheet since early August.
Leonardo Campana has 10 goals on the year, the second most on the team, four behind Higuain, Alejandro Pozuelo has eight assists combined between his stints at Toronto and Miami this season, Bryce Duke has set up four goals in 2022, while Taylor and Ariel Lassiter are currently tied for third in tallies for the Herons, as they have both netted three times.
Corentin Jean and Ian Fray are both out with knee injuries, while Brek Shea and Robbie Robinson continue to recover from hamstring strains.
Facundo Torres netted his 12th of the year for Orlando across all competitions on Sunday, tying the club's single-season goal contributions mark set by Nani in 2019 (23 total contributions of goals and assists).
Leading scorer Ercan Kara picked up his third assist of 2022, and Cesar Araujo set up his first goal of the campaign.
An own-goal by Damion Lowe in injury-time enabled the Lions to come away with a 1-0 triumph when these teams met earlier this year, with Pedro Gallese stopping six shots for a clean sheet in that encounter, while Torres and Mauricio Pereyra are tied for the most assists on the team with seven each.
Robin Jansson remains questionable due to a problem in his right lower leg, while Alexandre Pato and Joey DeZart are both nursing right knee injuries.
Inter Miami possible starting lineup:
Callender; McVey, Mabika, Lowe, Yedlin; Lassiter, Mota, Gregore; Pozuelo; Higuain, Campana
Orlando City possible starting lineup:
Gallese; Moutinho, Schlegel, Carlos, Ruan; Pereyra, Mulraney; Akindele, Urso, Torres; Kara
We say: Inter Miami 1-0 Orlando City
The marquee players on Miami are finally coming to the forefront, namely Higuain, who is currently in the best form of his Major League Soccer career.
Orlando are missing a quality attacker who can make that difference, and they appear to be damaged psychologically of late, which is a bad sign this late into the campaign.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
