INTER MIAMI CF vs. MNUFC
DRV PNK Stadium | Fort Lauderdale, Florida
06.25.2022 | MLS Week No. 15 | MLS Game No. 16
7:00 p.m. CT (MLS Live on ESPN+, Bally Sports North, The CW - Twin Cities, 1500 ESPN)

The Loons got on the scoreboard first in the 37th minute of Sunday's showdown against New England with a perfectly placed PK from Emanuel Reynoso. However, goals from Dylan Borrero and Gustavo Bou in the second half were just enough to push the Revs past MNUFC, 2-1. Next up, the Loons will fly south to the Sunshine State for another matchup with an Eastern Conference foe. This time, they face Inter Miami CF for the first time in club history. MNUFC and Miami have had nearly identical luck so far this season with both teams entering Saturday's game with a record of 5-7-3 and 18 points to their name. Similarly, Miami also enters the match fresh off a road loss and looking to turn things around. Hopefully, the Loons can secure a win and gain some much needed momentum in Miami before their mid-week matchup in LA against the Galaxy, next week. MORE

OPPONENT BREAKDOWN - INTER MIAMI CF

Despite spending two seasons together in MLS, Inter Miami and Minnesota United have never met on the field. For the first time in club history, the Loons will be traveling to south beach to take on the Herons this Saturday in a new battle of the birds. This trip to Florida finds both teams fighting to stay afloat, as each club is hovering just below the final playoff spots in their respective conferences. Will Miami’s stars finally begin to shine or will the Loons start firing first? MORE

ADRIAN HEATH ON THE DIFFERENCE IN MIAMI FROM THIS YEAR TO LAST YEAR...

“I think that the guys who are on the field have bought in to what Phil Neville\] is trying to do. There may not be star names on the field, but they’ve got people who want to run around and show what it means to play for Miami and I think that’s been reflected in their results.” **_[MORE_**

DAYNE ST. CLAIR ON HOW HE'LL DEFINE SUCCESS OVER THE NEXT TWO ROAD MATCHES AT INTER MIAMI CF AND LA GALAXY...

“For me, every game I play in, I want to win. So, I determine success as that. Of course, on the road it’s tough sometimes. I mean, we’re going all the way to Miami and then flying straight from Miami to across the country to LA, so that’s going to be a lot of travel involved. I think if you can bring up points, but every game I play I want to win – I determine success like that.” MORE

STORYLINES PRESENTED BY BMW

• DOS O CERO?: In each of Miami’s last eight MLS fixtures, they have scored either two goals or have been shut out. They have achieved each outcome four times, and (as you might expect) have been significantly more successful in the games in which they’ve scored twice (10 of a possible 12 points, as opposed to one of 12 in the games where they’ve been held scoreless). It is reductive to say that Minnesota would have better odds of success in this match if they were to keep a clean sheet, but it’s also a simple fact. But wait, there’s more! Minnesota will also have to break the other critical piece of this pattern in order to achieve success. Each of Miami’s previous four scoreless games came on the road, and you guessed it, each of the two-goal games came at DRV PNK Stadium. In fact, Miami hasn’t been shut out at home since March. The Loons have their work cut out for them, but one objective is clear. MORE

FIRST TOUCHES

• Minnesota, who sits equal with Miami on 18 points, has slipped to 11th in the Western Conference after their loss to New England on Sunday; the two teams have identical records of 5-7-3 overall.
• Miami’s best goalscorer on the season has been 21-year-old Leo Campana, with seven strikes to his name. However, Campana has scored just two goals in his last seven league games, in addition to scoreless outings in the U.S. Open Cup and on international duty with Ecuador.
• Captain Wil Trapp played for Miami in their inaugural season in MLS (2020) before signing with Minnesota to start the 2021 season.
• Robert Taylor and Robin Lod both appeared in Finland’s pair of UEFA Nations League games against Bosnia & Herzegovina earlier this month. Taylor and Lod first appeared together for Finland in September 2018.
• Damion Lowe and Kemar Lawrence both started for Jamaica during their 2022 World Cup qualification campaign, most recently in January against Mexico. Lowe and Lawrence have been fixtures of the Jamaican backline since the 2017 Gold Cup. MORE