MATCH PREVIEW: Inter Miami CF to Host Houston Dynamo on Saturday

MATCH PREVIEW: IMCF vs. Houston Dynamo Oct. 10,2020

Inter Miami CF returns home after an important midweek win on the road to face the Houston Dynamo on Saturday, Oct. 10, at 5 p.m. ET at Inter Miami CF Stadium. 


The match will be nationally televised on Unimas and streamed on TUDN’s Twitter and the Univision 23 App. Fans can also listen on Spanish radio via Univision Miami’s WQBA 1140 AM and the Uforia App. Fans worldwide can tune in to live commentary on the Inter Miami App. Download and Register your Profile here:  https://www.intermiamicf.com/en/club/app.


"Our objective is clear against Houston. We understand how they play and how we want to play. It's important to get points. In this case, we're coming off a win and we want to get points again; if it's three points even better, but we need to get points again,” said manager Diego Alonso. “Our focus, our concentration has to be on ourselves, on doing things well and playing well."


Inter Miami is coming off of a hard-fought victory on the road in a midweek matchup against the New York Red Bulls. The team overcame the hosts 1-2 on Wednesday, Oct. 7, at Red Bull Arena to clinch the team’s second away win of the season. The match saw many firsts for members of Inter Miami’s inaugural roster: Designated Players Gonzalo Higuaín and Matías Pellegrini scored their first MLS goals, goalkeeper John McCarthy made his debut for the team as a member of the starting XI and Venezuelan defender/midfielder Christian Makoun registered his first start. It was a memorable night for rookie right back Dylan Nealis as well, as he returned to the lineup and played against his older brother Sean Nealis, a defender for the New York Red Bulls, to become only the fifth set of brothers to face off in an MLS match. 


Additionally, Higuaín was selected as Inter Miami captain for the last game in the absence of the injured Luis Robles, and was named Heineken Man of the Match after a well-rounded performance which included a sublime 81st minute free kick to secure the team’s win. Lewis Morgan also assisted Inter Miami’s first goal in the match and has now tallied five assists to tie Rodolfo Pizarro as the team’s top provider, while he remains the team’s top scorer with four goals so far this season. 


Saturday’s match at Inter Miami CF Stadium will be the first regular season meeting between Inter Miami and the Houston Dynamo as part of the Club’s inaugural MLS campaign. 


The matchup could have a reunion on the cards for versatile Inter Miami veteran A.J. DeLaGarza, who’s available to face his former side. DeLaGarza joined the Houston Dynamo in 2017 and went on to make 57 MLS regular season appearances for the club across three seasons, while also helping the team win the 2018 U.S. Open Cup title in the process. 


In addition to DeLaGarza's reunion with his former team, the fixture against the Houston Dynamo may also present a number of matchups between former teammates. 


Inter Miami's Brek Shea and Mikey Ambrose were teammates with Houston's Darwin Cerén during their time in Orlando City. Shea and Cerén shared the field 29 times in 2015 and 2016, while Ambrose never shared the field with him but played on the same Orlando team in 2016. 


Makoun, meanwhile, has featured as a teammate of Houston's Ronaldo Peña on the international stage, as the pair have both featured for the Venezuelan U-20 team. They have shared the pitch once for the side in a friendly against Italy's U-20s, but both were members of the Venezuela side that reached the final of the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup. 


Inter Miami's Leandro González Pirez was also briefly teammates with Houston's Tomás Martínez at River Plate in Argentina. The two overlapped at the club from 2012 to 2014, but shared the pitch just once.


Lastly, Midfielders Wil Trapp and Victor Ulloa may face former teammates as Trapp and Houston forward Niko Hansen overlapped with the Columbus Crew for three seasons, sharing the field 43 times, while Ulloa and Houston defender Maynor Figueroa overlapped with FC Dallas for three seasons, sharing the field 66 times.


The upcoming match could also be a historic one for Trapp, who will register his 200th MLS regular season appearance if he is selected.


The Houston Dynamo will come into this weekend’s matchup at Inter Miami CF Stadium following a 2-0 win at home against FC Dallas, while also failing to record a win in its last four outings on the road. The Houston-based side currently sits ninth in the Western Conference table, having put together a record of four wins, seven draws and five losses to date this season. The team has been led by forward Darwin Quintero, who has registered six goals and eight assists so far this season, and midfielder Memo Rodriguez, who has tallied three goals and three assists.