Inter Miami CF continues MLS is Back Tournament play with its third and final Group A match, taking on New York City FC on Monday, July 20. The early morning match at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando will air on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and TSN at 9 a.m. ET.
The Club's App will feature radio broadcasting and post-game radio shows. The match will also be transmitted on Spanish radio via Univision Miami’s WQBA 1140 AM. To download the app, visit https://www.intermiamicf.com/en/club/app.
“We’re preparing with great enthusiasm, eager to go out in search of our first three points. We have to insist until it happens,” said Manager Diego Alonso. “I can’t find another way of living life itself or soccer other than chasing our dreams and striving to make them come true.”
Though Orlando City SC and the Philadelphia Union have already qualified as the top two finishers in Group A, the match will offer Inter Miami a chance to qualify to the knockout rounds as a third-place team pending results across the other groups. The top four third-place finishers will advance to the knockout rounds of the tournament; Inter Miami currently sits third in Group A. The live wild card standings are available at https://www.mlssoccer.com/mls-is-back-tournament/standings/wild-card.
Inter Miami is coming off of a hard fought 2-1 loss to the Philadelphia Union in its second group stage fixture. The matchup saw Designated Player Rodolfo Pizarro score the third goal in Club history, his second personal tally of the season, earning him Heineken Man of the Match honors for the Club. Young Argentine forward Julián Carranza, the Club’s second signing, made his first start for the team in the match, while German-American forward Jerome Kiesewetter made his debut as a substitute. The game also featured the return of Pizarro and Panamanian national team captain Román Torres to the starting XI.
The match could include the clash between fullback Ben Sweat and his former side. Sweat featured for NYCFC in 77 matches between 2017 and 2019, helping the team qualify to the playoffs each year while recording one goal and nine assists.
New York City FC has faced both Philadelphia and Orlando in the tournament so far, losing 1-0 and 3-1 respectively. The team lost to Columbus Crew SC 1-0 and Toronto FC 1-0 in its first two matches of the regular season.
The team had a strong 2019 season in which it finished first in the Eastern Conference and second in the Supporters’ Shield standings. The team also finished with the second most goals scored in the regular season and reached the Conference Semifinals of the MLS Cup Playoffs. The team was led by Brazilian forward Héber Araújo dos Santos and Argentine midfielder Maximiliano Moralez. Héber led the team with 15 goals scored in just 22 regular season appearances while Moralez topped the MLS assist charts with 20 to his name.
