MATCH PREVIEW: Inter Miami CF to Host FC Cincinnati in Final Regular Season Match on Sunday

MATCH PREVIEW: Inter Miami CF to Host FC Cincinnati in Final Regular Season Match on Sunday

Inter Miami CF (6-13-3, 21 points) returns home to close out its inaugural regular season on MLS Decision Day presented by AT&T with a crucial matchup in the team’s playoff hunt, facing FC Cincinnati (4-14-4, 16 points) for the first time. The match at Inter Miami CF Stadium will kick off on Sunday, Nov. 8, at 3:30 p.m. ET. 


Regional fans will be able to watch the game live on MyTV33, the free Inter Miami App, and the Univision 23 App, as well as listen on Spanish radio via Univision Miami’s WQBA 1140 AM and the Uforia App. Fans worldwide can also tune in to live commentary on the Club’s App. Download and Register your Profile here: https://www.intermiamicf.com/en/club/app


Sunday’s fixture will be Inter Miami’s final 2020 regular season match and its first-ever meeting against FC Cincinnati. The team enters Decision Day presented by AT&T in contention for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, currently sitting 12th in the table just behind the Montreal Impact, Chicago Fire FC and Atlanta United FC. 


The match will also see the Club open Inter Miami CF Stadium to a limited number of Season Ticket Members for the second time this campaign. As a thank you to our fans, those in attendance will enjoy steep discounts on merchandise purchases in the venue. 


Inter Miami players Alvas Powell and Victor Ulloa are available to face their former side in the upcoming game. Both players signed for FC Cincinnati prior to the team’s first MLS season in 2019. In their only season with the team, Ulloa played in 26 regular season matches, recording one goal and two assists, while Powell registered 13 regular season appearances


The matchup against Cincinnati could also present a series of reunions against former teammates for Inter Miami’s Jay Chapman, Leandro González Pirez, Brek Shea and Ben Sweat. Chapman was teammates with FC Cincinnati defender Nick Hagglund at Toronto FC from 2015 to 2018, making 30 appearances together and helping the team win the Supporters’ Shield and the MLS Cup in 2017, among other titles. Meanwhile, LGP shared on the pitch with Greg Garza (2017 to 2018) and Brandon Vázquez (2017 to 2019) during his time at Atlanta United FC, helping the team clinch the MLS Cup title in 2018 in the process. Additionally, Shea was teammates with Cincinnati’s Kendall Waston and Spencer Rickey from 2017 to 2018 during his stint as a Vancouver Whitecaps player, while also playing alongside Vázquez at Atlanta United during his sole season with the side in 2019. Finally, left back Sweat and Saad Abdul-Salaam were teammates at NYCFC in 2018, playing four matches together for the team. 


Additionally, Matuidi previously played against FC Cincinnati defender Mathieu Deplagne during his time in Ligue 1. Matuidi’s former side Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) faced off four times against Deplagne’s Montpellier HSC in Ligue 1 and Coupe de France matches between the 13/14 and 15/16 seasons, with a record of three wins and one loss for the Inter Miami midfielder. 


Inter Miami will look to bounce back after a 2-1 loss on the road in a close game against Toronto FC over the weekend. The match saw French World Cup-winner Blaise Matuidi score Inter Miami’s only goal with a precise left-footed shot in the 42nd minute of play; it was the midfielder’s first MLS goal. 


FC Cincinnati will enter Sunday’s match following four consecutive defeats and failing to record a point in their past four away games. The team currently sits 14th in the Eastern Conference table and is out of contention for a playoff spot, compiling a record of four wins, four draws and fourteen losses in the 2020 regular season. This campaign, Cincinnati has been led by forwards Yuya Kubo, who has tallied three goals, and Vázquez, who has registered two goals and one assist so far this season.