Inter Miami CF will look to continue their late playoff push when they travel north to face the New York Red Bulls on Saturday night.
Miami (10-10-6, 36 points) is unbeaten in its last five games following a 2-1 home victory over much-improved Toronto FC. That put the Herons briefly up to a season-high position of fifth place in the Eastern Conference.
They are still sixth after MLS play Sunday and have a chance to earn points in a third consecutive result on the road. Miami won 1-0 at San Jose on Aug. 3 and finished in a 2-2 tie at second-place Montreal three days later.
“Our road form wasn’t great,” manager Phil Neville said of Miami’s 1-7-2 record in its first 10 away games. “So it gives us a little bit of confidence on the road. We played a certain system, we played a certain way, and we felt like that system really suited us.”
They also have played with Alejandro Pozuelo for seven games, with his arrival in a summer trade from Toronto FC helping to spark Miami’s resurgence. The 2020 MLS MVP has two goals and four assists in the Herons’ unbeaten run.
The Red Bulls (11-8-8, 41 points) enter in fourth in the East, with their standing built primarily on their away record.
At home, New York is just 3-5-5, including zero wins in their past four games. Away from home, the club is 8-3-3.
If that alone won’t keep the Red Bulls from overlooking Miami, their last meeting with the Herons will. Back in May, Miami beat visiting New York 2-0 to snap the Red Bulls’ six-match away unbeaten run to begin the season.
“We know at the moment they have a good form,” Red Bulls coach Gerhard Struber said. “But we know also (that) the game that we (had) in Miami was not especially successful. I can remember the first 20 minutes in the game, we were top in the game with many chances. And after that we broke down.”
Patryk Klimala’s penalty-kick goal helped the Red Bulls snap a three-match home losing streak in a 1-1 draw against FC Cincinnati last Saturday. Klimala is tied for second on the club with five goals, while Lewis Morgan leads with 11.
–Field Level Media
