We have reached the final road match of the season for Atlanta United as the team heads down to Chase Stadium to take on Inter Miami CF. This match was originally scheduled for late June but had to be rescheduled due to Miami’s advancement in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. With the October international break upon us, both sides will be looking for players to step up in the absence of some regular starters. Let’s take a look at the Tools to the Match presented by Home Depot against Inter Miami CF.
Next man up mentality
The list of players unavailable for Atlanta United is long ahead of Saturday’s trip down to Fort Lauderdale. That presents a unique opportunity for other players to showcase their talents either in the starting lineup or off the bench. Whether that is role players like Cayman Togashi or Leo Afonso, or young Homegrown talents like Dominik Chong Qui or Cooper Sanchez, players will have a chance to step into the spotlight against a Miami team that is still fighting for playoff seeding and home field advantage. It’s going to take a total team effort to earn a positive result Saturday night at Chase Stadium.
Stop Miami’s potent attack
For the second consecutive year, Inter Miami features the league’s highest scoring attack. They tallied 79 goals last year in the regular season, while scoring 72 goals so far this campaign with two matches to go. Obviously, Lionel Messi is the focal point of the attack with 24 goals and 17 assists in 26 matches played. He’s on international duty with Argentina and will likely not feature on Saturday. Miami still has dangerous attackers that Atlanta’s defense needs to be aware of. Tadeo Allende scored last weekend to bring his tally to 11 goals. Luis Suarez is always a threat inside the box. The 5-Stripes' defense will have its hands full again on Saturday night.
Take advantage of set pieces
One of the effective ways to score goals on the road is through set pieces. This season, 27% of Atlanta’s goals have come off set pieces. That’s the fifth-highest ratio in MLS coming into the final two matches of the campaign. The 5-Stripes also rank fifth in terms of goals from headers this year with nine. With some different faces expected to be in the starting lineup this weekend, set pieces could become a key component that Atlanta has to take advantage of if it wants to bring home points.
Fans can tune in on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV on Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. ET when the action kicks off at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. To hear the action on radio, tune into Sports Radio 92.9 The Game (English) or La Mejor – AM 1600 (Spanish).
