Inter Miami will embark on a two-game MLS road trip, beginning on Wednesday when they face Charlotte FC at Bank of America Stadium in North Carolina.
An early goal conceded over the weekend sent the Crown to a 1-0 defeat versus the Houston Dynamo, while the Herons hung onto a 2-1 result against Nashville SC.
Match preview
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Over the weekend, Dean Smith saw his side's four-match unbeaten run in MLS end as Charlotte failed to find the back of the net for the sixth time this year.
With another defeat on Wednesday they will match their longest losing streak in MLS this year (two), though they are unbeaten in their last four domestic contests versus Eastern Conference opponents.
If they emerge victorious from this encounter, they will have 10 wins in the 2024 regular season, matching their total from the previous campaign.
The Crown have picked up at least a point in six consecutive MLS home fixtures while failing to concede in five of those instances.
Only three points currently separate them in sixth from the New York Red Bulls, who are third, while the Crown hold a 10-point cushion above the Eastern Conference playoff line.
Charlotte have a 100% record at home against the Herons in MLS, winning those two encounters by a 1-0 score, most recently in October 2023.
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Even without some of their top contributors in front of goal, Miami continuously find ways to get ahead, winning three consecutive league contests by a 2-1 score.
Tata Martino's men remain on top of the Supporters' Shield standings, two points above FC Cincinnati, losing the joint-fewest matches in the 2024 domestic campaign (three).
The highest-scoring side in MLS this year (48 goals), have netted multiple times on four successive occasions and have only lost one game in the 2024 regular season when doing so (3-2 versus CF Montreal).
So far this year, Inter Miami have won seven league contests away from home, as many as they had accumulated in 2022 and 2023 combined, and one fewer than Cincinnati for the most in MLS this year.
The Herons have suffered just one defeat in their previous 15 matches played in this competition (3-1 versus Atlanta United), and they are unbeaten in the league this season when even or in front after 45 minutes.
While they have never won an away contest in Charlotte, Inter Miami have points in three of their previous four meetings against them in this competition.
Team News
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Over the weekend, Charlotte were without Brandon Cambridge because of a thigh issue, while Junior Urso was unavailable with a leg injury.
Ashley Westwood is eligible to return after missing their previous encounter against the Dynamo due to yellow card accumulation.
Their top goalscorer during the 2022 and 2023 MLS campaigns, Karol Swiderski, will return to the Crown this month after finishing up a loan spell with Serie A side Hellas Verona and featuring for Poland at the Euro.
Miami will once again be missing their joint top goalscorers, Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, with Argentina and Uruguay advancing into the knockout stage of the Copa America, while Matias Rojas will not be back in time, as Paraguay play their final match at that tournament on Tuesday.
Marcelo Weigandt sat out of the previous Miami fixture with a hamstring knock, while Nicolas Freire and Facundo Farias were unavailable because of ACL injuries.
Diego Gomez is questionable because of an ankle sprain, Robbie Robinson remains sidelined through injury and Tomas Aviles is eligible to return from his yellow card suspension.
Ian Fray has goals in consecutive games for Miami as he and Jordi Alba found the back of the net in the latter stages of the opening half against Nashville.
Charlotte FC possible starting lineup:
Kahlina; Byrne, Malanda, Tuiloma, Lindsey; Bronico, Westwood; Abada, Tavares, Vargas; Agyemang
Inter Miami possible starting lineup:
Callender; Fray, Aviles, Allen, Alba; Redondo, Busquets; Gressel, Cremaschi, Taylor; Campana
We say: Charlotte FC 1-2 Inter Miami
The victories without Messi and Suarez are not as pretty, but they still count, and the Herons have been able to remain consistent despite plenty of rotation, and that belief could propel them to another triumph this week.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joel Lefevre
