Lionel Messi is set to play his second-ever game in Philadelphia, and some of the dazzle of the world’s best footballer and his star-studded Inter Miami team coming to town seems to have faded.
Inter are underperforming, with only two wins in their last eight games, putting them in sixth in the Eastern Conference standings.
The Union, on the other hand, are soaring at the top of the league and fresh off a comfortable U.S. Open Cup win against the Pittsburgh Riverhounds. Tai Baribo leads the league in goals and Quinn Sullivan, who just received his first call-up to the United States Men’s National Team’s 27-player training camp, is tied for second for assists (younger brother, Cavan, has been called up to under-17 team’s training camp).
The stats show things are currently humming along for Philadelphia.
Saturday’s game might be a sell-out, and there may be a noticeable number of Messi jerseys of all variations in the crowd like there was two years ago, but head coach Bradley Carnell said the team isn’t treating this differently from any other opponent.
“We’re not over-inflating this game,” Carnell said. “It’s another opponent. They wear a different color set of jerseys and it’s 11 v. 11 on the field, and I think that’s the mentality going into it.”
That isn’t to say that the Union will underestimate their opponent. The team’s visit to Miami in March ended in a 2-1 loss.
Carnell said that, after a rocky first 20 minutes, everything went right for the Union, except the score in the last meeting with Miami. He added that the return of fullback Kai Wagner, who was absent with injury in March, offers a stronger side than last time.
According to the Miami Herald, Inter coach Javier Mascherano has been using the full week since the team’s 3-0 derby loss to Orlando City to run “intense and longer training” and try “regaining confidence,” after the team’s veterans held a players’ meeting after the defeat.
“We know what type of a team it is, and in every game, they’ve had chances, they’ve been competitive, and it hasn’t gone their way,” Carnell said. “Teams go through phases throughout the season, but you can never underestimate that team especially. I don’t think we’re anywhere near any form of complacency or any form of laziness or tiredness. I think there’s a team on our side here that we’re just hungry for the next game. We’re hungry for the next points to be put on the board.”
The game kicks off at 7:30 p.m. and tickets (starting from around $160, last we checked) are still available. Those with MLS Season Pass on Apple TV can stream the game.