In what could serve as an Eastern Conference Finals preview, first-place Nashville SC, fresh off their first MLS loss since July, pay a visit to Lionel Messi and second-place Inter Miami on Saturday evening.
Nashville (16-3-5, 53 points) suffered a rare setback on Wednesday against Toronto FC as Daniel Salloi’s equalizer in the 72nd minute and Emilio Aristizabal’s winner in stoppage time lifted TFC to a shock 2-1 win over the Supporters’ Shield leaders. It ended Nashville SC’s 4-0-2 unbeaten streak in league play.
“We weren’t at our best in a lot of phases,” Nashville head coach B.J. Callaghan said. “We talk about being able to play our way, and I don’t think (the match) was indicative of that. We’re going to have to get back, and kind of look at things.”
Nashville will hope Saturday’s match will mirror the result of its last meeting against Miami (12-4-8, 44 points), when a 1-1 halftime scoreline turned into a 4-1 blowout for Nashville on Aug. 15 as Hany Mukhtar netted a second-half brace and Sam Surridge added a goal, all in a span of 15 minutes.
Inter Miami have played to two straight draws, 2-2 against Atlanta United and 1-1 against the Chicago Fire, since Messi — who leads the league with 18 goals — scored four times in a 7-1 rout of CF Montreal on Aug. 29.
Wednesday’s result against the Fire saw Casemiro’s third goal in as many matches cancel out Robert Lewandowski’s 10th-minute opener.
“I believe it is a competitive (league) … and it really is (a mindset of) match by match, competing in that way and not thinking about what may come in the future, because no one knows,” Inter Miami interim head coach Guillermo Hoyos said in Spanish on Friday. “So we are living in the present, which is a very important match for us, and (one) which I believe the team is prepared.”
Messi, named to the 30-man shortlist for the Ballon d’Or on Tuesday, recorded his league-leading 13th assist on Casemiro’s equalizer.
Miami announced Friday that forward Mateo Silvetti had undergone season-ending shoulder surgery. Silvetti dislocated his shoulder during the club’s draw against Atlanta United on Sept. 5.
–Field Level Media
