Yahoo Movies Inter Miami plays Philadelphia Union on the road Wednesday. Here’s what you should know
Soccer coaches and players learn to accept ties as part of the sport, but anything less than a victory Wednesday night at Subaru Park will be a disappointment for visiting Inter Miami and host Philadelphia Union.
The Union has lost only one of its 11 league games this season, but five games ended in a tie and coach Jim Curtin said his team is hungry for three points.
“We’ve had ties that should be wins, so I think you’re going to see a good response against a Miami team that is very well coached by Mr. Neville,” Curtin said. “He’s done a great job with a roster that’s completely changed. They’re trying to build a culture. You see some really good performances, but they’ve been unlucky some games recently, similar to us.”
Both teams are coming off frustrating draws.
Despite playing with a man advantage from the 55th minute on, Philadelphia was forced to settle for a 1-1 tie with the New York Red Bulls on Saturday.
Inter Miami let a 2-0 lead slip away on Saturday and wound up with a 2-2 tie at home against D.C. United.
“We enter this game with confidence but slightly frustrated because we look at that (D.C.) game as two points dropped,” Miami coach Phil Neville said. “We need to turn that draw into victories. We know where a win will take us on the league table.”
Miami is mired in 13th place in the Eastern Conference, one spot out of last place, with a 3-6-2 record (11 points). A win on Wednesday (7:30 p.m., My33, UniMas) would move the team in striking distance of the middle of the table. The last time Miami played at Subaru Park, on Apr. 24, 2021, it came away with a 2-1 win with goals by brothers Gonzalo and Federico Higuain.
Curtin said their defenders will have their eyes on Leo Campana, who leads Miami with six goals and two assists, and also try to disrupt Jean Mota, DeAndre Yedlin and Gregore.
“They had a reset, so the scouting report was completely different, but they have good talented players,” Curtin said. “They play to the final whistle.”
Neville was equally complimentary of Curtin’s team: “Outstanding players. Clear philosophy and identity. Very hard to beat. They never give in. They’re one of the top teams in Eastern Conference with one of the best managers in the league. I like the way his teams play, the way he manages his teams.”
Miami is expected to be without injured Nick Marsman, Kieran Gibbs and Aime Mabika. Robbie Robinson trained but remains in concussion protocol and is “a major doubt” for the game, Neville said. Emerson is sick and will likely stay home.
Former Inter Miami forward Julian Carranza, who is on loan with Philadelphia, has scored four goals for the Union but will not be on the roster for Wednesday’s game per the loan contract. The Union’s leading scorer is midfielder Daniel Gazdag with six goals and two assists.
