Inter Miami faces Chicago Fire at Chase Stadium: a Preview

hello everybody and welcome back to the heartbeat Your Daily Inner Miami podcast and today we are previewing tonight's game against Chicago Fire at Chase Stadium inter Miami coming off a 3-1 Victory against Toronto FC and they get a little bit of another similar opponent lower down the table without a huge number of impact players in this game to close out the first twoth thirds of the MLS regular season before the leagues CBS starts next week they have found themselves back at the top of the table after a couple losses from Cincinnati couple results around the league went their way and then of course inter Miami won on Wednesday night to go up to 50 points which is a club record and there's still 10 games to go so this magical season that is in Miami's first full season with the uh Barca gang and tat Martino is continuing to rev up in a positive way and hopefully that can continue tonight against the Chicago Fire let's talk about them because they are not the best team they currently sit 13th in the Eastern Conference 24th overall in the supporter Shield table it's not a great team let's just let's just be honest with you uh they have a couple of key impact players that you can see being really important tonight but the team as a whole lacks a significant amount of quality and particularly depth let's see what they let's see what they're up to um they they actually have had a relatively good run of form of late they've won four of their last eight games including some big games against SC Cincinnati this past Wednesday and then they started that off with the win over the Ali Galaxy so the last eight games they've definitely been an improved team and I think that's important to remember as context for when we talk about how bad they are because in the previous nine games before that they were absolutely winless and fell to one of the worst teams in the league and this is a team that had a little bit of excitement a little bit of confidence going into the season they had brought in a big number nine Striker they had brought in a few MLS veterans that they thought were going to upgrade the roster and it hasn't really worked out Frank Kos the coach uh returns after a stint earlier about a decade ago with the Chicago Fire hasn't really been able to get this team popping like the front office thought they would in the off season but as I mentioned they've been a little bit better over the last uh six or seven weeks the last eight games or so they are coming off a midweek game a midweek win over FC Cincinnati in which they should feel confident Chris Brady for Chicago Fire their goalkeeper had a really big game but I will put an asterisk to to say that Lucho aosta and Miles Robinson probably the two best players on FC Cincinnati did not play in that game one because of a card suspension at one because of a small knock so there are reasons why the Chicago Fire were able to play an even game against FC Cincinnati it was a close game pretty even if you look at the advanced stats and Chicago Fire get a one- nothing Victory thanks to Chris Gutierrez uh in the 69th minute I believe um they're not good away from home they've played 12 games this year only two wins four draws six losses only scored 14 goals away from home in 12 games which is one of the themes of their entire season they don't score a ton of goals 29 goals through 24 games it's just not a good goal-scoring record and considering they spent a lot of money to bring in a new competent number nine this off season in Hugo quers it's been a disappointment I think but there are some reasons why Hugo corer is a guy that thrives on service and we'll talk about him in a few minutes but uh it's just not a good offensive team they don't have a lot of creative Playmakers they don't have a lot of guys that are good on the ball they don't have a lot of guys that can build offense from a backto front style most of their goals come in transition so or on set pieces so this isn't a great offensive team in Miami should feel good that if they can score two three four goals that they'll win this game relatively easily um and then the other thing I want to mention is that their two left backs are both injured they brought in Andrew Gutman to be the sort of upgrade at left back he played for Colorado played for Atlanta has been around the MLS but he's a solid MLS left back he got hurt their backup left back got hurt and so they've in recent weeks been more in a back three that's how they've made the adjustment sometimes a 3421 sometimes a 352 it's a little bit more fluid in the front guys moving in and out of position but they've been playing mostly a back three and again it's not a coincidence that when they did that their results started to improve and as we talk about some of their key players you'll notice this as a common theme that once a player started improving the team's result started improving and let's well let's start with who's missing for this Chicago Fire team the biggest name is Jon shakiri he just had an excellent Euros with Switzerland has been a very good player on the international stage for quite some time but when he came to the MLS he came to Chicago a couple years ago he's never really fit in he's always had quality and listen he scored a banger against inter Miami at the end of last season in that 4-1 loss that I think really killed our chances of making the playoffs but so individually he has talent but I guess the criticism from Chicago Fire fans is that has been that he's never really elevated the rest of the team he's not going to be there he's still recovering from maybe a small knock that he got at the Euros but he's just not going to be available for for Chicago tonight Andrew Gman as I mentioned their left back that they thought was going to be a big piece for them has been injured for about six weeks now federo Navaro a defensive midfielder also out and then Carlos ton he's a center back that I've always liked when I get to see him play the results have been a little bit more Inc consistent if you look at him from a season perspective but I feel like every time I see him play he's a big athletic physical Center back that you could want on your team right he's the kind of guy that you you could really appreciate he's also not available for them so they're missing their left back they're big up their best center back Sheron shakiri one of their most creative Playmakers this is is a team that's missing some of their best players and I think that that will be reflected in what happens tonight the guys that will be there that are important Hugo quers again this is the big number nine DP signing that they got this offseason I think he was the reason that this team felt like they could really turn a corner this year they didn't make the playoffs last year and they thought this signing from gent who was very good in in the Belgian League was going to be the guy that that uh that took them over the top into you know into the playoff conversation and that's not where they're at currently he's a classic number nine strong physical good positioning but he's a guy that needs service he's a setpiece threat but the problem is he hasn't gotten a ton of service because this Chicago Fire team doesn't have a lot of creative players especially without shakiri in the team he has he got off to a really slow start this season and he has started to find his Groove and again I do want to make this difference between the last eight games and sort of what came before because there has been a noticeable uptick in what the Chicago Fire have been able to do and part of that is Hugo kers who has been good of late he he's had a few poor performances in there but when he gets it going he can get it going he's got nine goals on the season two assists so he's having a solid season he's on Pace for maybe 15 goals and you know that's a good solid debut season for a number nine on a really bad team Marin Haley salassi a wide attacker is the guy I really want to key in on tonight he is very Pacey very quick very good in transition five goals two assists this season so not incredibly prolific as a goal scorer but he's the exact type of player that can give in Miami trouble we've talked about it all season we saw it even against Cincinnati most recently with Le abata those really quick pacy Wingers they can give in Miami trouble especially in transition which is exactly what the Chicago Fire going to want to do tonight he's a guy to really look out for he can play on both sides he's he's a wide attacker but you you might see him on the left you might see him on the right he recently had a a four-game goal scoring streak and again he's another player that over the last uh two months or so basically since the beginning of June has taken a step up in his game and as a result the Chicago Fire have been a much better team another player to watch out who's also seen his form pick up over the last you know two months was Brian Gutierrez this is an exciting young player he's very tall very big very physical but a creative player you see a lot of players like this in the league that are just box tobox sback guys that can run and be physical Gutierrez has some real talent going forward he is creative in the final third he can put off some really nice shots he can score really nice goals creative player he was having a tough season but at least to start the season but again this is a player whose form is picked up lately he's gotten five goals five goals two assists over the last you know six weeks or so he is playing better and again he's a young player I think he's 20 21 very good very promising young player he's gonna be a guy that goes to Europe over the next couple Seasons it's just a matter of can he harness all of that in tonight's game or is it going to be the next game you know he's a little bit inconsistent but when he gets it going he can be a really good player and again he scored the game-winning goal against Cincinnati in the midweek so he's going to have a little bit of confidence Chris Brady uh their goalkeeper he's been probably their best player All Season he has again another really young player I think he's 20 21 grown up over the last couple Seasons as you guys may remember they had the 17-year-old goalkeeper named gagas lonina they sold him to Chelsea for a big fee because they had this kid Chris Brady who they felt could be an upgrade on Gaga lenina I don't know if he's been an upgrade yet but he's been very good he's very quick he's a very toolsy goalkeeper and so for a team that's facing a lot of pressure for a team that has to sit back often and he's gonna have a lot of shots on target a lot of shots against them Chris Brady is an excellent goalkeeper for that type of team and he's grown a lot over this season he was phenomenal on Wednesday night against Cincinnati he had I believe seven saves maybe eight kept kept the Chicago Fire in that game and helped them eventually get three points so he's been very good he's a really good young goalkeeper he's a guy that you know it's not going to be easy to beat him if he's on his game so something to keep in mind and and then another name I'm just gonna throw out there it's Kellen aosta this is a player that Chicago Fire really felt they could get something from this season longtime MLS veteran has played with the US Men's National Team a familiar face around the league he hasn't been very good I'll just put it bluntly not the player that they needed he's been he he's sort of an eight but again they need players that are going to elevate the talent around them and they just don't have that it's a lot of individual players and K A Costa wasn't the guy that they needed for for that team and so I know he's a name or a face that might be familiar to a lot of fans Not the player that he's been in the past hasn't had a great season this year okay let's talk about inter Miami because because that's who we're all here for uh they're coming off a win aside from A Loss to Cincinnati they've been very good over the last six weeks even without some of their best players and again some of those players are now returning to the lineup Sergio buset among them after serving a suspension for that red car he got against the against FC Cincinnati and so what is anmi gonna do tonight from a lineup perspective Greg calendar I think obviously goes right into goal first name on the team team sheet at right back we saw Ian fry play there and play well on Wednesday night but I doubt we're going to see him again just because of the injury concerns he did go a 100 plus minutes for the first time he went the full game for the first time since his return so we're gonna see Marcelo wean no doubt about that he was also missing from Wednesday night's game because of a yellow card accumulation suspension Toto Aviles who played well on Wednesday night I think also slots right in at Center back Sergio buett I have as his pair for tonight Serge Kristoff we saw leave the game early on Wednesday night because of an injury he is listed as questionable if he is available to go I do think he's going to start but I'm just I just give the sense that they're gonna save him they're not going to play him tonight I think Kristoff isn't available and so I think Tata Martino is gonna choose Sergio buett the other options are Ian Frey playing on short rest I don't think that's something he wants to do Noah Allen who we did see come in and play well on Wednesday night I think there's a little bit of a conversation there but ultimately I think Tata Martino is gonna try and get his best players on the field and so I think he's gonna put Sergio buset as a center back in that back line I know it wasn't pretty against FC Cincinnati but he did play as a center back in the three or four games prior to that and was very good so it's it's not unreasonable to think that buett could be really good back there especially with AES as his partner again that second half against Charlotte was I think the blueprint with Ailes and buset having both the athleticism to cover transition opportunities but also the ability to play out of the back at a tremendously high level you can see why there would be a lot of excitement there and then no Allen I think will be available Ryan sailor another option I just I don't think that's where Tata is going to go no Allen gives you more athleticism in the backline which could be important because Chicago Fire are going to try and counter and I mentioned Haley salasi is a guy that could really be dangerous in transition but ultimately if in Miami can control this game I think Tata Martino is gonna feel comfortable about doing that and I think he's gonna put Sergio buset in that back line that's the conversation though if Kristoff's not available it's probably no Allen or Sergio buset and because I think he wants to get an extra midfielder in there I think he's going to put petts on the back line at left back Jord no doubt going to start going to go 90 minutes that leaves the Midfield which is becoming a little more clear than I mean krasi away for international Duty Diego Gomez has now left for for the Olympics and so he won't be available with buset on the back line I think that means you have to start yanuk brigh in the Midfield who again gets another opportunity Federico Redondo had a great game on Wednesday night he's going to slot right back in there and so really the only question is that third spot I imagine he's going to go right back to Matias roas he didn't have a tremendous game on Wednesday I thought he was a little bit invisible it was his first game back in in some time because he went to the Copa America with paguay but he's been solid but was invisible on Wednesday night and so if I'm him if I'm T Martino I'm saying listen we're gonna watch the film we're gonna see what you could do better we're gonna see how you can find more spaces to operate and we're going to give you we're going to put you right back out there to help you grow some confidence in that position and build some uh build some chemistry with these guys we we saw him right away had incredible chemistry with Lio Messi but without messing the lineup we haven't seen rosby as impressive that leads us to the front line Diego Gomez is out I think you just easily slot Robert Taylor right in there and it becomes relatively seamless he's a really good player he's a guy that we can see a lot from and so Robert Taylor again tonight I think makes a lot of sense Luis Suarez starting at at the number nine listen Leo compana has not scored in the last four games I think there's been some criticism of him some of it Justified some of it probably a little harsh but he wasn't great on Wednesday night Luis Suarez came in and made a big impact in that second half and so I think he's ready to start this game I think Suarez goes right in at number nine and then lastly Julian gressle he has been excellent lately he's been a incredible deliverer of the ball has I think seven straight games with the goal contribution five straight games with an assist he is a creative Outlet in a way that I think back to times Prem messy where inmi could have really used a player like Julian gresle who could be a a threat who could put balls in dangerous spots and so I expect to seek wrestle in the starting lineup tonight I'm not sure how that front three is going to press Robert Taylor Luis Suarez and Julian gressle one of the Hallmarks of the last couple weeks has been the fact that we've had three athletic Frontline players that can press and try and create high turnovers in a way that we haven't always done this season especially when Suarez and Messi are in the lineup because they aren't those aggressive pressers that some of the younger guys are so I'm a little curious to see if we can continue to uh create turnovers high up the field that can lead to obvious opportunities but listen this is a team with a ton of talent you bring back Luis Suarez you bring back Sergio buett you have an overwhelming amount of talent in this game and so inter Miami should have no trouble creating what they need to create in this game and you know coming away with three points I will add just for the record it is understood to me that inm is going to be wearing the archive kits tonight I believe they announced it publicly so we'll get our first opportunity to see them in those uh blue and orange kits it should be really exciting guys that's it for today let's go get three points and as always I'll see you tomorrow have a wonderful day