Another long flight is in the books for San Diego FC as they head back to Florida to face Inter Miami. San Diego is trying to turn their season around amidst a three-game losing streak. They have a tough challenge ahead of them, similar to the challenges they faced when they played in Orlando. San Diego had a long flight, and it will be hot in Miami and most likely humid. On top of all that, you’re facing off against one of the best players who has ever lived. This will not be an easy match in Miami, and if somehow San Diego gets the three points away, it would be a well-earned victory.
Beckham’s Team
Back in 2014, David Beckham, former LA Galaxy star, exercised the option to purchase an expansion team from MLS. It was in his contract when he first joined MLS that he could purchase a team for $25 million. Beckham and a group of investors that included Jorge Mas were able to exercise Beckham’s option and bring a new team to Miami. Play began back in 2020, and since then, the goal for Beckham has always been to attract top talent to bring into the team—though not without some hiccups.
One of Inter Miami’s first designated players was Rodolfo Pizarro, who played a match while he was technically still signed to Monterrey. Monterrey would file a complaint with FIFA about the situation. The following season, the club would also use TAM money to sign Blaise Matuidi and Andrés Reyes (yes that Andres Reyes, former San Diego FC player), though it turned out that Inter Miami had already used up all of their TAM budget. It was later discovered that Reyes should have been considered another designated player. Inter Miami is still trying to bend the rules, as they signed Lionel Messi (I’ll get to him in a second) and friends like Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba, Luis Suárez, and Rodrigo De Paul. Beckham is willing to do anything to make his team the best it can be in MLS while remaining the most entertaining.
Lionel Messi
He’s the greatest player who has ever lived—the best of his era, and the conversation can go even further regarding whether he is better than Maradona or Pelé. This is the part of the preview where I would break down attack and defense, but that is just unpredictable when Messi is on the other side. I’ve seen him score hat tricks like it’s another day in the office. I’ve seen him take over entire games and put the whole team on his back. Messi is magic. If you haven’t watched Messi in a match before, or if maybe this is the first time you’ve ever watched a soccer match, just keep your eyes on number 10 for Inter Miami.
In the last three matches, San Diego has failed to contain the best player on the opposing team. Antoine Griezmann was able to score a goal in Orlando, Niko Tsakiris was the best player on the pitch for San Jose, and Cavan Sullivan came to San Diego and scored a brace. Now San Diego goes up against the best soccer player ever, and all you can do is sit back and enjoy the show.
Attack
So you came here for some stats? Inter Miami is the highest-scoring team in the league with 61 goals and has the second-highest xG at 53.32. Miami knows how to put the ball on target with 154 shots on target, and they know how to convert those opportunities into goals with the third-highest conversion rate at 15.72%. As much as many opponents fear what Miami can do to you in open play with Messi, Miami has scored the most set-piece goals this season with 14, with four goals coming from free kicks alone.
You would think that with such high-quality players, Inter Miami can pass the ball around efficiently, ranking 6th in successful passing rate at 87.2%. Their passing direction is much more focused on the wings, leading MLS with passing to the left at 28.5% and ranking second in the league when passing to their right at 28.4%. This is not a team that likes to pass the ball backward like San Diego FC does, passing backward just 15% of the time, which is the fourth-lowest rate in the league. Miami has the most through balls in the league with 61. Inter Miami simply has a different way of building up their attack compared to SDFC, ranking third in the league with 84 total buildup sequences.
Defensively
Will Inter Miami try and press you like the last couple of teams San Diego FC saw? No, not really. They will likely sit back and wait for you to make a mistake, then go the other way. Miami has 9 goals from turnovers, which ranks 1st in the league. Miami has also allowed 46 goals this season, with an expected goals allowed of 43.45. Miami has the 8th highest rate in the league for shots-on-target conversion into goals, sitting at a clip of 14.38%. Miami also has the second-highest number of fast-break goals allowed. So going vertical or catching Miami on a counter might be your best bet for scoring against them.
Miami’s big acquisition during the off-season was MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Dayne St. Clair, who memorably made 12 saves in a match against San Diego FC when he was playing for Minnesota. Now with Miami, St. Clair does not look like the same player. Last season, St. Clair had a career-best 78.6% save percentage in league play, which has dipped down to 58.7%. Among qualified goalkeepers in the league, St. Clair is 6th-worst in Goals Prevented with -1.2. St. Clair is with a new team and in a different system than he was accustomed to in Minnesota. Miami is asking St. Clair to play with his feet, whereas Minnesota just wanted him to stay back in goal and be a shot-stopper. If SDFC can use their press correctly and make St. Clair uncomfortable, that could be a key way to try and score on Miami.
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