The Fire host Inter Miami for the second time since Lionel Messi’s arrival to the squad from south Florida. Last year, the team put on a spectacle in front of the largest-ever home crowd in team history and emerged with a 4-1 win.

Can the Fire repeat against an Inter Miami squad that has been on a roll despite Messi’s absence, or will Miami walk away with their first-ever road win over the Fire?

Series History

All time: 4W-1D-2LLast Match: July 20, 2024: Inter Mami 2-1 Fire at Chase Stadium, Ft. Lauderdale, Fl.Last Home Match: October 4, 2023: Fire 4-1 Inter Miami at Soldier Field, Chicago, Ill.

Recent Form

Inter Miami

Despite bowing out in the Leagues Cup Round of 16 to the Columbus Crew, Inter Miami have been on a roll in MLS play. Since coming back from the June international break, Miami are 7W-0D-1L, capturing 22 of a possible 24 points – all without Messi. They avenged their only loss in that span, a 6-1 drubbing at the hands of FC Cincinnati, with a win over the Garys in their first game after the Leagues Cup last Saturday, becoming the first team to clinch a playoff spot this season.

Fire

The Fire fought from behind and earned a point at New York City off of a second-half stoppage time goal scored by Brian Gutiérrez, in a game where Fire Head Coach Frank Klopas said his team was “not sharp” after having “not having played a competitive match in almost three-and-a-half-weeks.”  That break was due to an early Leagues Cup exit, but in the team’s previous MLS match, they lost 2-1 to Inter Miami, with the Fire going down early but and finding an equalizer off former captain Rafael Czichos in the 73rd minute before conceding what became the game winner on the restart.

The Storyline

Last fall, with Messi fever reaching its apex around the league, the Fire managed to fill Soldier Field for the first time in team history when Inter Miami came to town. Even if much of the crowd bought their ticket to see the visitors, the match was a kind of second-chance for the Fire under owner Joe Mansueto, as the team’s hopes – nearly realized – for a sellout of Soldier Field were one of countless aspirations dashed due to COVID in March 2020.

The team capitalized on Miami’s visit, both on the pitch with a 4-1 victory, and off it, generating the most revenue in MLS history from a regular season match as the team used the event to generate record increases in season tickets and sponsorships in the following season. Just as with last year, much of the focus of this match is on the spectacle around the game rather than the on-pitch result of 27th MLS regular season for both sides.

With Messi having yet to return to the pitch for Miami following his injury in Copa América in mid-July, this game is unlikely to be a sellout and tickets have been selling for a small fraction of their prices a year ago; still, it is all but certain to be the best-attended match of the season for the Fire, and the team is trying to make the match enticing to the numerous attendees who may be attending their first (or second) Fire match with a post-match concert and a guarantee to fans should the Argentine not play.

That isn’t to say that there aren’t stakes on the pitch for both teams. Inter Miami, who became the first team to clinch a playoff spot with their victory over FC Cincinnati last week, are on pace to match the single-season points record of 73, set by New England in 2021, and Head Coach Tata Martino – an avowed Supporters Shield truther – would love to shatter the record as the team heads to the postseason.

A win for the Fire, meanwhile, could find the team in a postseason spot after Saturday’s matches if results elsewhere go their way, while a loss and other results could see the team in the 15th and lowest spot of the Eastern Conference and ahead only of San Jose in the 29 team league.

Can the Fire find the same spark they found against Miami last year and once again find a victory against their star-laden squad?

Inter Miami CF Players to Watch

Luis Suárez: Suárez has provided bite to Miami’s offense, particularly in Messi’s absence. He scored a brace last weekend, giving him 14 goals on the season – two more than Inter Miami and tying him for fourth in the league Golden Boot race, despite playing fewer games than any of the three players ahead of him.

Federico Redondo: The son of former Argentine national team (and Real Madrid and AC Milan) star Fernando Redondo, the 21-year-old was brought over by Argentinos Juniors late in the offseason as a replacement for Facundo Farías who suffered season-ending injury in the preseason. In limited minutes this season after his own injury trouble, Redondo has shown his quality orchestrating and organizing Miami in the defensive midfield, somewhat in the shadows around the right lights cast on some of Miami’s more storied names, but make no mistake: Redondo is a highly skilled player and his play has been a key part of Miami’s success in the most recent par of the campaign.

Fire Keys to Victory

• Win over the crowd: Last year, it’s fair to say that the majority of the crowd bought a ticket to see a player from the visiting team, but the Fire’s performance won the crowd over and the majority of the crowd – including many wearing pink jerseys – were cheering for the home team by the time the fourth goal went in for the Fire. Get out to a quick start – in contrast to their performance against NYCFC last week –  and you can get the crowd which will be largely Fire fans and neutrals, rather than Miami fans – behind you.
• Just play your game: Miami have a talented, deep squad but the Fire nearly walked away with a point on the road against them. They’re not infallible but the Fire need to stick to the game plan, keep their heads down and not be intimidated by the visitors. Stick to the team’s strengths, get the ball to Cuypers, expect Brian Gutiérrez to rise to the occasion, much as we saw from Xherdan Shaqiri last year.

Panel Predictions

Alex Calabrese

The Fire usually like big crowds. They delivered last season following an impressive result in the New York area. Even with the odds against them, the stage is set for another memorable Men in Red performance.

Prediction: Fire 3-2 Inter Miami

Jiggly Carollo

Prediction: Fire 0-2 Inter Miami

Tim Hotze

A draw, perchance to be unsatisfying to both teams' ambitions and needs.

Prediction: Fire 2-2 Inter Miami

Matt Shabelman

Prediction: Fire 3-1 Inter Miami

Match Information and How to Watch

Date and Time: Saturday, August 31, 2024, 7:30 PM CTLocation: Soldier Field, Chicago, Ill.Forecast: 76’F expected at kickoff, winds at 6 mph, 11% cloud cover no chance of precipitationTV: Apple TV – MLS Season Pass