With Lionel Messi leading the side, Argentine influence in inter Miami has been in the spotlight, but as the Herons are set to host Orlando City, all eyes are on Uruguay. It's a battle between national team teammates Luis Suarez and Nicolas Lodiero both of whom are in their first seasons with their new clubs. Suarez joined Inter Miami ahead of the season from Gremio in Brazil while Lodiero was a key pickup in free agency for the Lions following quite a run with the Seattle Sounders. While it's hard to get used to Lodiero in another jersey as he pulls on Orlando's purple, this rivalry match will be a chance to etch his name in Lions history nice and early while also defeating his former national team teammate.
Entering the match both teams are undefeated with Miami drawing and winning their first two matches while Orlando drew against CF Montreal around their Concacaf Champions Cup matches.
The match also will not be without controversy. The lockout of the referees has led to replacement refs, and hours before the Florida showdown was supposed to kick off, the replacement match for this game was changed, after picture of Guilherme Ceretta in an Inter Miami kit surfaced. Jamie Herrera will now be in charge of the match.
Here's our storylines, how you can watch the match and more:
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How to watch and odds
- Date: Saturday, March 2 | Time: 4:30 p.m. ET
- Location: Chase Stadium -- Fort Lauderdale, Florida
- TV: FOX | Live stream: MLS Season Pass
- Odds: Inter Miami -135; Draw +320; Orlando City +300
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Storylines
Inter Miami: The Herons may have escaped their first two games without a defeat but they haven't looked convincing while doing it. Suarez has a noticeable limp when moving around the pitch, Sergio Busquets' passing has been wayward and Julian Gressel is struggling to keep up with being in a midfield three but when a team has Messi, they can collect points despite the odds. WIth a goal and an assist so far this season, Messi is living up to my prediction that he'll net a goal contribution per game but as Miami will enter Champions Cup play on March 7, rotation will need to come sooner than later. While facing in state rivals may not be the time to do it, Miami's supporting cast will need to step up soon.
Orlando City: One of the best defenses in MLS, Orlando will be well positioned to deal with Miami's talented attack but it will be up to Duncan McGuire to find his way through the Herons' defense. While McGuire was almost sold to Blackburn Rovers during the winter transfer window, strong performances in games like this one will only increase demand in his services during the summer.
Prediction
In a hard-fought rivalry match, there will be more cards than goals and likely more cards than shots on target in this one. Pick: Inter Miami 1, Orlando City 1
