Orlando City at Inter Miami CF (Leagues Cup)
When: Wednesday, 8:00 PM
Where: DRV PNK Stadium, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
Radio: 96.9 The Game (English), Acción 97.9 FM (Spanish)
Everything you need to know for Orlando City at Inter Miami in the round of 32 of the Leagues Cup in "The Road Ahead" driven by Audi:
Milestone watch
-- Pedro Gallese is three saves away from 100 in his Orlando City career. Gallese is also two wins away from 50 as the starting keeper for the Lions.
-- Duncan McGuire scored for the third straight match and the sixth time in nine games in Saturday’s win against Santos Laguna, his tenth goal of an extraordinary rookie season. McGuire will be looking to score in his fourth consecutive match on Wednesday night against Miami, equalling a club record.
-- Iván Angulo’s next appearance will be his 40th for the club in all competitions.
Stats and storylines
-- Wednesday night marks the most anticipated Florida Derby of all time and one of the most-hyped matches in Orlando City history as the Lions go up against Lionel Messi and Inter Miami in the Leagues Cup Round of 32. Messi scored three goals in Miami’s two group stage victories over Cruz Azul and Atlanta United.
-- Messi is the fourth Ballon d’Or winner to play in MLS and the first since Kaká retired after the 2017 season for Orlando City. Lothar Matthäus and Hristo Stoichkov are the other two former World Players of the Year to appear in MLS, both in the early 2000s.
-- You’ll be able to watch Orlando City like never before on Wednesday night – all Inter Miami matches during Leagues Cup feature enhanced broadcasts including 18 cameras, Steadicam, four super slow-motion cameras, Skycam, a drone, and sideline reporters.
-- The winner of the Florida Derby will move on to the Round of 16 to face the winner of FC Dallas vs. Mazatlán, with the match taking place from August 6-8. Orlando would host Mazatlán, as no Leagues Cup games will take place in Mexico this year, but the Lions would be away to Dallas due to finishing lower in the 2022 Supporters’ Shield standings.
SERIES HISTORY
All-time vs. Inter Miami - 5-3-3, +1 GD (2-3-0, -2 GD away)
Leagues Cup only vs. Inter Miami - First meeting
- 2020 - W 2-1 (N), L 2-1 (A), W 2-1 (H), L 2-1 (A)
- 2021 - W 1-2 (A), D 1-1 (H), D 0-0 (H)
- 2022 - D 1-1 (4-2) (H/USOC), W 1-0 (H), L 4-1 (A)
- 2023 - W 1-3 (A)
Meet the opponent: Inter Miami CF
-- Orlando City crushed Inter Miami back on May 20 in a game that wasn’t nearly as close as the 3-1 scoreline would suggest. Ercan Kara, Martín Ojeda, and Rafael Santos all netted for the Lions in the rout.
-- Of course, Miami looks quite a bit different now than they did on that night. In addition to Messi, the Herons have added legendary defensive midfielder Sergio Busquets, winner of the 2010 World Cup, three UEFA Champions Leagues, and nine La Liga titles. Busquets assisted Messi’s first goal against Atlanta last week. Messi and Busquets’ ex-Barcelona running mate Jordi Alba has also joined at left back and could make his Miami debut against Orlando.
-- Veteran Argentine manager Gerardo “Tata” Martino has been brought in to take charge of the new superstars after Miami fired Phil Neville in early June. Martino managed Messi at Barcelona from 2013-14 and with the Argentine national team from 2014-16. He also featured for Messi’s boyhood club Newell’s Old Boys as a player while Messi was first starting with their academy.
-- Miami has also worked on bringing in younger South American talent, a strategy that paid off for Martino with Atlanta United and has worked wonders for Orlando City under Oscar Pareja as well. The club has already signed Paraguayan midfielder Diego Gómez and Argentine attacker Facundo Farías to U-22 Initiative deals.
-- A draw on Wednesday would send the match to penalties to decide who advances. Orlando defeated Miami in a shootout during last year’s U.S. Open Cup, with Mauricio Pereyra burying the winner. Orlando City is 8-0 all-time in penalty shootouts.
