The Columbus Crew have every reason to crave revenge as Inter Miami visit Lower.com Field for a Leagues Cup Round-of-16 clash on Tuesday night (7:30 pm ET | MLS Season Pass).
Miami beat the Crew 2-1 in Fort Lauderdale on June 19, one of just two losses in 10 matches Columbus have played on their ferocious run of form (7W-2L-1D) since losing the Concacaf Champions Cup final on June 1.
It was a particularly frustrating setback for the defending MLS Cup champions given that the Herons were without Leo Messi, Luis Suárez and Matías Rojas at the time, yet still snatched an early 2-0 lead via a corner-kick header and a transition goal created off a foolhardy Crew turnover deep in their own end, and held on despite sustained pressure from their visitors.
Heavyweight clash
"Today I would have preferred to concede in another way,” said Crew coach Wilfried Nancy afterwards.
Yet Monday morning's pregame press conferences proved an exercise in mutual admiration between the two MLS Eastern Conference contenders.
"They have good players, they have new, young players. I think they build a very good chemistry even when the No. 10 Messi\] is not playing,” said Crew wingback [Mohamed Farsi. “I'm looking forward to playing them. I know it's going to be a good game. And yeah, just to be honest, I'm enjoying them, I'm enjoying seeing them playing."
Miami, who uncharacteristically could muster a mere 35% of the ball possession in that June meeting as Cucho Hernández and the rest of Nancy's slick-playing side enacted their usual dominance of the game's tempo, paid tribute to Columbus in kind.
"Columbus, I'll say it once again: it is the best team in the league," said Herons boss Gerardo 'Tata' Martino in Spanish. "Because they have a very defined style of play – and particularly because I like that style a lot – it is a team that normally subdues the opponent. When I say 'subdues,' I do not say that they win all the games, but normally the game is played according to what they want.
"In addition, that way of playing is even more improved by the characteristics of the individuals that they have," continued the Argentine. “It has been a year and a half, and at least from what I have been seeing, they do well, they do it permanently and they do not diverge from that line."
Strength of depth
Conversely, Martino has done laudable work in keeping his team atop the Supporters' Shield table despite a litany of injuries and international call-ups that have imposed long periods without their stable of superstars, nurturing the Herons' flock of rising talents like Diego Gómez and Benja Cremaschi. It's done much to dispel the line of thinking that the transcendent excellence of Messi and his old FC Barcelona friends makes Martino's job an easy one.
"They've done a good job, a really good job. They have really good young players, Tata and his staff also, and all the front office from Miami manage well the old players and the young players," said Nancy on Monday.
"They're able to run, they have good quality. So no, they are doing a good job in terms of the squad. So it's going to be a good game to play against young players who like to run, and also the savviness of the older players, all the guys that we know. So it's going to be fun to see again how this goes."
Chance for a statement
As he did in the aftermath of Friday night's dominant 4-0 win over Sporting Kansas City, Nancy again dismissed the suggestion that this game means more – "no, trust me, it's another game. Why I'm saying that is because we want to win every game. So why is it going to change against Miami?" he declared.
Yet a hint of his team's current confidence could be detected in his lament that the Crew will again miss out on the chance to face off with Miami's GOAT, who has yet to rejoin team training activities and still has no specific return date as he continues to rehabilitate the ankle he injured with Argentina in the Copa América final.
"I'm hoping that Messi can play, because it will be the first time, but it's not possible for the moment," said the Frenchman with a mischievous smile. "But you know me, I like to prepare the game in a logical way. So the idea is to analyze Miami. We know that they have good players and it's going to be a good game to play."
While Columbus will have the chance to host IMCF again in league play come October, the Leagues Cup bracket has served up a much-anticipated extra meeting of these reigning trophy holders, perhaps a chance to lay down a statement of intent for the MLS stretch run that will kick off after this tournament's conclusion.
In the shorter term, both see the other as an obstacle on the path to hardware, a cash prize and a berth in next year’s CCC.
"They're a great team. They're doing really well in the season. They had a good run in the Concacaf Champions Cup, and it’s something that we're going to be very aware of as we go up there to play them," said Miami goalkeeper Drake Callender. "We're going have our hands full with them. I think overall, attacking, defending, how they play, their style of play, it's very difficult to compete with. They have a whole lot of possession, they work very well together, fast, smart players.
"So we're going to do our best to go there and compete. And yeah, we're playing away from home, it's an elimination game, so there might be a little bit more pressure, a little bit more feeling around it, but I think those are the games that pro players look forward to playing."
