Inter Miami CF returns home to face Orlando City SC at Inter Miami CF Stadium for the fourth matchup of the season between the sides. The match, which will kick off on Saturday, Oct. 24, at 3:30 p.m. ET, will see Inter Miami open the stadium to a limited number of Season Ticket Members.
The match will be nationally televised on TUDN and Univision, and streamed on TUDN’s Twitter and the Univision 23 App, and fans can also listen on Spanish radio via Univision Miami’s WQBA 1140 AM and the Uforia App. Fans worldwide can also tune in to live commentary on the Club’s App. Download and Register your Profile here: https://www.intermiamicf.com/en/club/app.
"We're excited and happy that our fans will be able to accompany us. They will definitely be our 12th man on Saturday,” said manager Diego Alonso. "This type of match is undoubtedly important, especially for the fans, but more important than a clasico is a final. We're playing a final on Saturday."
Inter Miami will look to bounce back after a narrow 2-1 loss to the Montreal Impact on the road that snapped a three match unbeaten streak. The match saw defender/midfielder Brek Shea score his fourth goal of the season and second in as many matches, as well as Leandro González Pirez’s first assist of the year. However, the match also saw Gonzalo Higuaín receive a red card after the final whistle, meaning he will miss the match against Orlando.
Saturday’s game will be the fourth between the teams this season, as they faced each other once in the MLS is Back Tournament, once at Exploria Stadium and once at Inter Miami CF Stadium. The matchup at Inter Miami CF Stadium was Inter Miami’s first-ever home match and resulted in a 3-2 win for the team.
With four matches remaining in Inter Miami CF’s inaugural MLS regular season, the team is still in the playoff hunt, just two points out of a qualifying spot in the Eastern Conference.
The match against Orlando could see the return of midfielder Rodolfo Pizarro, who will be available for selection again after returning from international duty with the Mexican National Team. He will be eligible to play after clearing quarantine protocol.
The upcoming match could feature a number of reunions, notably matchups against a former team for Inter Miami’s Shea and Mikey Ambrose. Shea helped launch the franchise in its debut season in 2015 and remained with the team for one additional season, while Ambrose joined the team for the 2016 season. Midfielders Wil Trapp and Federico Higuaín, meanwhile, were teammates with Orlando midfielder Robinho with Columbus Crew SC during the first half of the 2019 season.
The match could also feature a head-to-head between international competitors. Inter Miami midfielder Blaise Matuidi could face Orlando’s Portuguese star Nani and Peruvian goalkeeper Pedro Gallese, both of whom he has faced on the international stage. Matuidi and Nani faced each other a total of four times between club and national team games outside of MLS. Matuidi featured for France in three international fixtures against Nani and Portugal, as well as once in a Serie A game for Juventus FC against Nani’s SS Lazio, with a record of two wins for each. Additionally, Matuidi’s France defeated Gallese and Peru 1-0 victory in the group stage of the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Orlando will enter this weekend’s matchup sitting fourth in the Eastern Conference and on a 12-match unbeaten run, with their last defeat coming in the 3-2 loss to Inter Miami in August. The team, however, has failed to record a win in its past three outings, earning draws against the New York Red Bulls, NYCFC and Atlanta United. Orlando has been led by forward Chris Mueller who tops the team’s goal and assist charts with eight and six respectively, and Nani who has added five goals and five assists.
