Inter Miami CF vs. Orlando City SC | 2020 MLS Match Preview

Dylan Butler

2020 MLS Regular Season – Week 6
Inter Miami CF vs. Orlando City SC
Inter Miami CF Stadium – Fort Lauderdale
August 22 – 8:00 PM ET

STREAMING: MLS LIVE on ESPN+ in US; MLS LIVE on DAZN in Canada

LOCAL TV: CBS4 (Miami). UniMas Miami, FOX 35 Plus

The first chapter of what promises to be a heated rivalry was the opening match of the MLS is Back Tournament. Chapter two will be the long-awaited opening of Inter Miami CF Stadium with the hosts not only looking to exact revenge for that 2-1 defeat in Orlando, but also for their first-ever MLS victory.

In many ways it was a tale of two tournaments for MLS' two Florida clubs. Orlando City SC were the feel-good story of the competition, marching to the final and changing their perception from a perennial struggler to a legit contender with coach Oscar Pareja earning much of the praise for the culture shift. It was three and out for expansion side Inter Miami, the only team without a point through five regular season game in league history. But it appears big-name reinforcements are en route to South Beach.

In that MLS is Back opener, Juan Agudelo put Inter Miami in front in the 47th minute, before Chris Mueller leveled in the 70th minute and Nani scored the stoppage-time winner.

Inter Miami CF

They had a quick exit from MLS is Back, but coach Diego Alonso said his team deserved more, from those three games and the five overall in the regular season.

“What we need to do — we know that we have at least four weeks of work planned ahead of the start of the regular season, which is what we hope," Alonso said after his team's final group stage defeat to NYCFC. "And in these four weeks we’ll try to adjust details and [new] players could come through to help us improve the team. With the players who are here and ones who may arrive we can try to get better and reach the objectives we want to achieve: which is to reach the playoffs and fight for the championship.”

Leandro Gonzalez Pirez, who was ineligible to compete at MLS is Back, is an important defensive reinforcement with World Cup-winning French midfielder Blaise Matuidi joining on a TAM deal from Juventus. There's also been no shortage of big names linked to an empty DP spot, from Luis Suarez to Willian to Falcao to Mario Gotze.

Updated team roster
Injury Report:
- OUT: George Acosta (M) - left knee injury
- OUT: David Norman Jr. (M) - left ankle injury
- OUT: Denso Ulysse (D) - left lower leg injury
Suspended: Juan Agudelo (F)
Suspended after next caution: None
International duty: None

Orlando City SC

What a story that was written in Orlando. Not many had the Lions advancing out of the group stage, let alone a stunning run to the MLS is Back Final where they fell to the Portland Timbers. They didn't lift a trophy, but they captured hearts and minds, playing some of the best soccer of any team in Orlando.

“We learned we are a better team at this moment,” Nani said when asked about Orlando’s growth after the final. “We improved as a group, as a club and let’s be honest, we must accept we are not the same team as before. And you all know that. You all saw our games, you have seen this final, you’ve seen the way we’ve been playing and the way every team who plays against us behaves against us."

The Lions' run at MLS is Back have pushed them to third in the East with eight points from five matches, one point behind second-place Toronto FC. In the Secondary Transfer Window, Orlando City acquired Brazilian forward Matheus Aias from English club Watford on a permanent transfer and loaned forward Santiago Patino to Cimarrones de Sonora of Mexico’s Liga de Expansión MX, the club announced Friday