Heron Talk presented by Gallagher
After winning four of its last five regular season matches, Inter Miami CF is ready to get its Audi 2022 MLS Cup Playoffs campaign underway.
Now, Inter Miami travels north to face New York City FC, the defending MLS Cup champions.
Head coach Phil Neville met with media members after Wednesday’s training session and spoke about the team’s enthusiasm heading into the playoffs.
“We’re massively excited,” Neville said. “It was a great week last week for the whole of the fútboll club. But I think what’s really important now is to stress that we’ve achieved nothing yet. We’ve not climbed any mountains yet. We’ve just probably got to stage one of climbing a mountain. There’s another three, four, five stages to go.”
Attacker Ariel Lassiter also spoke with the media and talked about the playoff buzz that has taken over the locker room.
“From a team standpoint, everybody is excited, happy to be in this position,” Lassiter said. “We have to step out on the field and be at a hundred percent mentally, physically, and emotionally for what’s ahead. New York City is our opponent and we’re looking to go over there and go on to the next round.”
Lassiter, who ranks third on the team in goals (4) and assists (5) also emphasized the team is focused on doing whatever it takes to come away with a victory Monday night.
“We’ve got to go over there and we have to fight,” he said. “It’s the playoffs now, so it’s always 50/50. You never know what you get, but we’re going to go over there and try and do our job.”
Inter Miami last faced NYCFC on Aug. 13 at DRV PNK Stadium, when a brace from midfielder Alejandro Pozuelo and a goal from Lassiter led the Herons to a 3-2 victory.
Inter Miami enters Monday’s road contest looking for its first playoff win in what will be the team’s second participation in a postseason in the Club’s three-year history. Kickoff for the Audi 2022 MLS Cup Round One matchup at Citi Field is set for 7 p.m. ET and will be broadcast nationally on FS1 and FOX Deportes.
