New York Red Bulls will face the proverbial Final Boss this Saturday when the team travels to play an Inter Miami team that will have Lionel Messi available at Chase Stadium. The two teams last met weeks ago where the Red Bulls handed Miami a decisive 4-0 beating but both teams were missing star players, Messi for Miami and Emil Forsberg for New York. Both will be available for this game.
New York is entering unbeaten in their last six games but on a streak of three consecutive draws. The performances were strong against stiff opposition such as LAFC and Vancouver Whitecaps. However, head coach Sandro Schwarz expressed his frustration over the team’s inability to put games away. For large stretches they had the better of play over the last three draws but were unable to find the clinical touch to put the games away.
The offense has been led by Lewis Morgan, who scored his seventh goal of the campaign last week. The club has yet to see Belgian striker Dante Vanzeir find his grove in front of net, even though he is one of the league leaders in assists. What makes the situation more frustrating is the lack of production off the bench. Corey Burke has battled injuries all season and Elias Manoel has found good spaces but hasn’t been able to score goals.
Miami isn’t a team currently having issues scoring goals. Messi is currently the Golden Boot leader in MLS, scoring approximately every thirty minutes. In front of him is another potent striker in Luis Suarez who also needs little to find the back of the net. Overall, Miami are still fighting injuries to key players. However, having Messi and Benjamin Cremaschi back has made the difference in their bid to climb the Eastern Conference ladder.
New York won’t be able to climb to the top of the East with a win, but their game-in-hand over Miami will mean that their tough schedule to start 2024 will see them come through close enough to feel optimistic. The schedule eases up both in travel and difficulty of games but first they must deal with one of the most star-studded teams ever assembled in MLS history.
PROJECTED STARTING XI:
New York Red Bulls: Coronel; D. Nealis, S. Nealis, Reyes, Tolkin, Edelman, Amaya, Carmona, Forsberg, Morgan, Vanzeir
WHERE TO WATCH:
Apple TV MLS Pass at 7:30 PM on Saturday night
photo by Matt Kremkau