Inter Miami CF will host Atlanta United FC on Wednesday, Sept. 9, at 8 p.m. ET, just three days after drawing against Nashville SC to secure its second consecutive clean sheet and remain unbeaten at home. The upcoming match at Inter Miami CF Stadium will make up for the meeting between both teams which was postponed on Aug. 26 and will broadcast regionally and nationally on television, radio and through digital platforms in English and Spanish. The Club will also honor Kick Childhood Cancer Awareness Month with a series of initiatives during the game.
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.
"It's evident that we're playing better each match. The results aren't always accompanying the performances which sometimes gives the feeling that we're doing things poorly, but the team has improved a lot and is doing really great things. I think you clearly saw in the last match what we're looking for: To be a team that's aggressive with our press, that's the protagonist in matches and is on the front foot”, said manager Diego Alonso. “Obviously we need to turn being the protagonist into goals to win matches. If we score goals, surely our confidence will grow and we can develop better play. Despite the fact we're playing well I think we can play even better and we can achieve that with confidence, goals and results.”
Inter Miami carries on with MLS regular season action as part of its inaugural season at home just three days after a scoreless draw against fellow expansion team Nashville SC in which the team secured its second consecutive clean sheet and remained unbeaten in its home ground. The game saw Inter Miami’s most recent signing Blaise Matuidi make his MLS debut. The midfielder put in an emphatic performance, commanding the midfield, being solid defensively and completing 90% of his passes. The French international’s appearance also made him just the 12th World Cup winner to feature in MLS.
The match coming up on Wednesday will feature cutouts in the stands of kids and families undergoing treatment for cancer at Baptist Health, as well as medical workers helping to save lives, including doctors, nurses and social workers, as part of the Club’s honoring of Kick Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Last week, the team trained in tops with “For Sebastian” printed on them. These tops are in support of Sebastian Ortiz, who lost his battle with Sarcoma in December 2016. The tops will be signed by the players and sold online with all proceeds going to the IMCF Foundation and a donation from there to SebastianStrong.
The game will also feature a commemorative gold ribbon on the adidas 2020 MLS Nativo XXV Official Match Ball, gold corner flags and goal nets, gold captain’s armbands and gold ribbon jersey patches, pins for the technical staff, gold wristbands for PRO referees, digital, broadcast and in-stadium campaigns, and more as part of the Kick Childhood Cancer campaign.
The team’s third fixture of the season at home at Inter Miami CF Stadium will present a series of reunions for members of both sides. Inter Miami players Mikey Ambrose, Leandro González Pirez and Brek Shea, all former Atlanta United players, are available to face their former club. The trio played together for the Five Stripes in 2019, Shea’s only season with the club, while Ambrose and González Pirez played for the team from 2017 to 2019. Together they helped Atlanta lift the 2019 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.
González Pirez also helped launch Atlanta’s expansion campaign in 2017 and guided the team to the 2018 MLS Cup and 2019 Campeones Cup titles, while earning individual recognitions as a 2019 MLS All-Star and two-time MLS Defender of the Year nominee. Shea, meanwhile, joined the team in 2019. The versatile defender / midfielder made 19 appearances for the team, starting in 10 of those. Ambrose appeared in 20 regular season and two playoff matches in his three seasons with Atlanta.
The matchup will also feature a head to head between Rodolfo Pizarro and two compatriots, Jürgen Damm and Érick Torres. Pizarro has played alongside, and against, both players on a number of occasions throughout his career. He was teammates with Damm at C.F. Pachuca from 2013 to 2015, including a period under the tutelage of current Inter Miami manager Diego Alonso from 2014 to 2015, and appeared in 61 matches together for the club. They also shared the pitch as teammates for the Mexican National Team on one occasion. The two have faced each other as opponents eight times in their careers, competing in LigaMX and Concacaf Champions League matches. Pizarro and Torres, meanwhile, have lined up as teammates at various levels for the Mexican National Team, sharing the pitch 10 times. They have only faced each other as opponents once, when Pizarro’s Pachuca defeated Torres’ Chivas.
Additionally, Inter Miami Argentine defender Nicolás Figal will be facing his fellow countryman and former teammate Ezequiel Barco. The pair were teammates at Argentine top-flight team Club Atlético Independiente from 2016 to 2018, making 24 appearances for the team across all competitions.
It will be the second matchup between both teams this season, with Inter Miami registering a historic night when visiting Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Sept. 2. The 0-0 draw saw the team claim its first point on the road in Club history and secure its first clean sheet as well. It also marked just the fourth time that Atlanta has been held scoreless at home in club history.
