After being held without a goal while drawing against Nashville SC, Lionel Messi and Inter Miami now get to face another tough challenge in Los Angeles on Sunday night. The Herons have to deal with Los Angeles FC, their toughest opposition yet in Major League Soccer. One of the most free flowing attacks, beating LAFC will be quite a different challenge than what Miami has seen from Nashville in some of their toughest matches to date.
At Nashville, Gary Smith has built his team to endure suffering in defense and they also clog the midfield, which meant they were able to limit touches for Messi and key players while also having Dax McCarty to drag Miami players down in a way that doesn't make for pretty viewing. It's effective but completely different from how Steve Cherundolo and LAFC will approach the match. One of the best attacks in the league, LAFC are averaging 1.56 goals per game. Denis Bouanga and the rest of the Black and Gold can score with anyone in the league, including Messi.
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Like Miami, LAFC can pass through teams before cutting them apart with ruthless finishing which is a reason why this is a match that could end in a hefty score line and something like 5-4 in favor of the home side isn't out of the question. This isn't to say that LAFC can't defend as they've only allowed 27 goals this season, but their best defense is their attack. And if anything their goal scoring numbers slightly undersell how good they are, as with 39 goals they're slightly underperforming their expected goals on the season of 41.94.
This will give Tata Martino and the defense quite a few things to think about as Miami are already leggy after playing a midweek match and then needing to travel across the country. More rotation will be needed but Messi, Sergio Busquets, and Jordi Alba will all be needed to have a shot at victory.
Moments like this are when it sets in how tall Miami's task of making the playoffs is. With only 10 games remaining, the Herons are 10 points off of ninth place and need to pass five teams to get there. They can't afford any losses but LAFC also has to take the match seriously to catch St. Louis City SC for first in the West. Miami still needs to prove that they can defend against high powered attacks like this because if they can't, the chances of making playoffs will only become slimmer by the day.
How to watch and odds
- Date: Sunday, Sept. 3 | Time: 10 p.m. ET
- Location: BMO Stadium -- Los Angeles, California
- TV: None | Live stream: MLS Season Pass
- Odds: LAFC -104; Draw +280; Inter Miami +245
Prediction
With Bouanga running free, Miami will have a night to forget in Los Angeles. As games dwindle, Martino will need to begin looking at how to win without Messi to prepare for the international break. Score: LAFC 4, Inter Miami 1