Inter Miami to host Charlotte FC in Leagues Cup quarterfinals
Inter Miami’s quarterfinals opponent has been set.
Charlotte FC, following a 2-1 win Monday night, will take the trip to DRV PNK Stadium to take on Inter Miami on Friday night. Kickoff time has not yet been announced.
The Houston Dynamo led for the majority of the match, but horrifically threw it away late. Charlotte drew even in the 80th minute and then took the lead on an own-goal just one minute later when a Dynamo defender blindly attempted a pass back to his goalkeeper, but instead put it in the bottom corner of his net.
If Inter Miami win, they will play in the semifinals on Tuesday against either the Philadelphia Union, New York Red Bulls or Mexican club Queretaro. A matchup against either Philadelphia or New York would be on the road, but a meeting with Queretaro would be at home. A win Friday also guarantees a second game Saturday, Aug. 19 in either the final or third-place match.
Tickets went on sale at 12:30 p.m. Monday, however, there was no heads up given by the team or the tournament like in games past. Instead, they were all released at once to the masses, creating a mad scramble and a long queue in order to secure tickets. Some on social media also complained about issues completing checkout.
Charlotte (6-9-8) is playing in its inaugural season and has yet to face Inter Miami. The two are scheduled for their first regular-season match against each other on Aug. 20 in Fort Lauderdale, though it’s possible that game gets postponed to avoid a team playing on back-to-back nights.
The big question will be whether Charlotte can bottle up Lionel Messi, who has put on a show since arriving in Miami. In four games (294 minutes) so far, he’s scored seven times, including two goals in each of the last three games. Sunday night at FC Dallas, Messi was incredible again, opening the scoring in the sixth minute and then providing the equalizer in the 85th minute on a free kick to complete the two-goal comeback. He also converted his penalty kick try.
Inter Miami, however, have serious questions they need to answer before Friday, particularly in the midfield and at defense. The two units were not in sync against Dallas, allowing numerous easy build-ups from the opposition.
Midfielder Diego Gomez earned his first start over Benjamin Cremaschi, but Miami played much better once Cremaschi was subbed on in the second half. In fact, Cremaschi scored one minute after being inserted and topped it off with the clinching goal in penalty kicks. Forward Josef Martinez also looked lost at times on Sunday night, which begs the question whether he or Leonardo Campana will start against Charlotte.
Sunday was the first time Inter Miami have trailed in a game since Messi and his former FC Barcelona teammates Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba arrived. Inter Miami will need a strong response as the competition rises.
