Inter Miami CF will travel to Nashville, Tenn., to face Nashville SC on Sunday, Aug. 30 at 8:30 p.m. ET. The match at Nissan Stadium will be the first between both new Major League Soccer (MLS) expansion teams and will be broadcast regionally and nationally on television, radio and through digital platforms in English and Spanish.
Regional fans can watch live on MyTV33, Unimas, the free Inter Miami App, and the Univision 23 App, as well as 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 very motivated and have a lot of enthusiasm. Now we have a great opportunity and we know that [Nashville] is a direct rival for playoff qualification so we have to play well...They’re a very compact team who works really hard, is tactically disciplined and defends very well. We have to try to be a team that can break through their defensive shape; we have to break lines either centrally or out wide. When it’s time to press we have to be a very organized team, like we saw against Orlando, we can be very aggressive with our press. We want to try to win the ball and keep possession as close to our opponent’s goal as possible," said manager Diego Alonso. “In previous matches we had also played well but it wasn’t reflected on the scoreboard. I think the win against Orlando was deserved; it served us all well. Above all else, what we have to repeat is our confidence, belief in our process, our project, our style of play, and follow a path and be a team that takes steps forward, but always starting from our base."
The next phase of Inter Miami’s inaugural season will continue with the match on the road against Nashville SC. The team previously clinched the first victory in its history with a 3-2 win over Orlando City SC in Inter Miami’s home debut on Aug. 22, before the matchup at home against Atlanta United FC was postponed. Following the postponement of MLS matches on Aug. 26 in recognition of the struggle for racial equality and human rights, matches will be resuming tonight.
Sunday’s game at Nissan Stadium will mark the first time Inter Miami and Nashville SC, the two 2020 MLS expansion teams, meet in regular season action.
The matchup could also feature a number of reunions for members of both sides. Inter Miami captain and goalkeeper Luis Robles will go head to head with Nashville SC captain and former teammate Dax McCarty, who he has faced as an opponent as well. Robles was teammates with McCarty at New York Red Bulls from 2012 to 2016 and they appeared in 143 matches together across all competitions. Additionally, they shared the pitch as teammates for the U.S. Men’s National Team on one occasion. The two players faced each other as opponents seven times, competing against each other in MLS regular season and playoff matches. Overall, Robles recorded four wins, one draw and two losses against McCarty, registering two clean sheets in the process.
Robles was also teammates with Nashville midfielder Alex Muyl from 2016 to 2019 during his time as a Red Bulls player. They appeared together in 128 games across all competitions, compiling a record of 67 wins, 26 draws and 35 losses, and helping the team win the 2018 Supporters’ Shield.
The game will also potentially present contests between Panamanian defender Román Torres and compatriot AnÃbal Godoy, and midfielder Victor Ulloa and former teammate Walker Zimmerman. Torres has played alongside, and against, his fellow countryman on a number of occasions throughout his career. The two players have made 60 appearances together for the Panamanian National Team, winning 22 of them, with Torres tallying eight goals and one assist. The pair have also faced off in three MLS regular season matches, with a record of one win and two draws for the Inter Miami center back.
Meanwhile, Ulloa and Zimmerman were teammates at FC Dallas from 2013 to 2017, making a total of 88 appearances together across all competitions, winning 41 of those matches and being members of the 2016 Supporters’ Shield winning side. They have faced each other three times in MLS regular season action since then, with a record of one win, one draw and one loss for Ulloa.
Heading into their inaugural season in MLS, Nashville SC prioritized experience and a solid defensive unit upon building their roster. U.S. Men’s National Team defender and 2019 MLS Best XI center back Zimmerman and experienced MLS midfielders McCarty and Godoy make up the spine of the expansion side.
Prior to the season’s suspension in March, Nashville fell to a 1-2 loss to Atlanta United in week one and subsequently to a 1-0 defeat against the Portland Timbers in week two. Since the completion of the MLS is Back Tournament, which the team was withdrawn from and unable to take part in, Nashville overcame FC Dallas 1-0 for the first win in team history, drew 0-0 against FC Dallas, lost 2-0 to Atlanta United and was defeated 3-1 by Orlando City SC.
