Inter Miami Are Back Home As They Take On FC Cincinnati

Good morning! Tomorrow, Inter Miami will face off against a very good FC Cincinnati side.

With the report that Lionel Messi could return for the match, Miami fans everywhere can breathe a collective sigh of relief.

In the email today:

Inter Miami will host FC Cincinnati in what will be a difficult game for the Herons.

Miami found themselves five points back from ninth place in the East after their 4-1 loss to the Chicago Fire on Wednesday.

Cincinnati most recently clinched the Supporter’s Shield, which is awarded to the team with the best regular season record in MLS. The Pat Noonan-led side has also won three of their last five games, on their way to securing a spot in the playoffs.

If Miami wants to win this game, they’ll need to shore up their defense, attack with conviction, and, perhaps, switch formations to numerically match Cincinnati.

• Cincinnati is in good form and will look to continue that against Miami.

• Messi could return to the field just before he heads off to national team duty with Argentina.

• Head coach Tata Martino could switch from the normal 4-3-3 formation he deploys to a back five to help the team defensively.

Our take: It will be difficult for Miami to win this match given their current form. However, if Messi returns to the field tomorrow as reports suggest, then many will fancy the Herons’ chances to pull out a good result.

2) 🐐 Messi Reportedly Set To Return vs. Cincinnati

The Messi injury saga appears to be coming to a close. According to Argentine journalist Gaston Edul and the Miami Herald, the World Cup winner will reportedly make his return against Cincinnati this tomorrow.

Messi’s return to the field will be the first match that he’s played in since being substituted in the 27th minute during the team's 4-0 win over Toronto on September 20th.

• Messi’s comeback couldn’t have come at a better time for Miami.

• With three games left in the regular season, Miami will have to win out and hope other teams in playoff contention drop points.

• If the Herons don’t make the playoffs, as stated in yesterday’s newsletter, they’ll have the winter off-season to re-tool and improve the roster.

Our take: Though Miami lost against the Chicago Fire, and their playoff hopes may be dwindling, they’re still mathematically in contention. It will help the Herons significantly if Messi can return to the field.

3) 🏆 Tweet of the Day: Inter Miami Players Gain Plaudits

Several Inter Miami players were short-listed for MLS’ end-of-season awards.

4) 📊 Poll: Roster Overhaul in 2024 = MLS Cup?

Have additional thoughts? Reply directly to this email to comment, and see if we include your response tomorrow.

Results from our last poll “What Position Does Miami Need To Strengthen?”

40% of you all said FULL-BACK.

5) 🔗 Link Roundup:

• 🇧🇷 Inter Miami could face Brazilian side Flamengo in January as a part of their pre-season prep.

• 👶 Thiago Messi was spotted on Inter Miami’s Academy’s Instagram.

• 🌎 Kamal Miller, Facundo Farias, Lionel Messi, and Edison Azcona, have been called up to their respective national teams ahead of October’s FIFA International Window.

The newsletter today was written by: Alex Windley @aaw_1998

Thanks for reading! Catch you on the flip side!