2020 MLS Regular Season – Week 16
New York Red Bulls vs. Inter Miami CF
Red Bull Arena – Harrison
October 7 – 7:00 PM ET
STREAMING: MLS LIVE on ESPN+ in US
LOCAL TV: CBS4 (Miami), MSG
Inter Miami CF head north in search of three points and revenge for their heaviest defeat to date when they take on the New York Red Bulls Wednesday night at Red Bull Arena.
The Red Bulls (6W-7L-2D) are coming off a 3-1 defeat at Orlando, which snapped their first winning streak of 2020, while Inter Miami CF (3W-10L-2D) fell at home to NYCFC, 3-2, Saturday night, their third loss in a row.
The Red Bulls were the first team to beat Miami in Fort Lauderdale with a 4-1 victory Sept. 23 in their only other meeting.
New York Red Bulls
After consecutive 4-1 victories, the Red Bulls suffered a 3-1 defeat to Orlando City SC Saturday afternoon. New York fell into a two-goal hole after 50 minutes and four minutes later pulled a goal back with Florian Valot capitalizing on a defensive miscue, but the Lions put the game away with a stoppage-time goal by Antonio Carlos following Video Review.
The Red Bulls formally announced Gerhard Struber as head coach on Tuesday. He joins from English Championship side Barnsley, where he's been since November 2019. As part of negotiations, the Red Bulls paid an undisclosed fee to Barnsley FC to release Struber from his existing contract. He will join the Red Bulls and assume head coaching duties pending receipt of his U.S. work visa.
"Gerhard is a bright coach, and we’re very pleased to welcome him to the club," said RBNY head of sport Kevin Thelwell in a statement. "Gerhard’s playing style and experience in youth development align with our philosophy and above all, as a person he fits into our culture. We look forward to him getting here and working together to achieve the goals we have set as a club."
- Updated team roster
- Injury Report:
- OUT: Patrick Seagrist (D) - groin injury
- PROBABLE: Amro Tarek (D) - thigh injury
- PROBABLE: Sean Davis (M) - knee injury
- PROBABLE: Tom Barlow (F) - knee injury
- Suspended: None
- Suspended after next caution: None
- International duty: Cristian Casseres Jr. (M), Kaku (M(
Inter Miami CF
Lewis Morgan struck for a brace, but so did Alexandru Mitrita, who put NYCFC in front just four minutes after kickoff as Inter Miami suffered a third consecutive defeat Saturday night in South Florida. It was an even more damaging defeat because goalkeeper and captain Luis Robles suffered a fracture in his left arm, the team announced Sunday afternoon. The injury occurred when he collided with Gary Mackay-Steven, a play that resulted in a yellow card for the NYCFC player. The club added that Robles would undergo further evaluation by team doctors.
“On one side it’s hard to understand and easy to explain,” head coach Diego Alonso said after the match. “We’re clearly committing mistakes that allow the opponent to score. We generally do things better than the opponent. We have better possession, we have more shots on goal, more crosses, more duels won, more attacks than the opponent. We defend well and we press well. That’s why I say it’s easy to explain, but it’s tough to understand: How could we do everything we’re doing and make these mistakes.
“[The mistakes] have cost us wins in Orlando [at the MLS is Back Tournament] and also before that when the league season started. I think it’s about concentration, being focused and individual errors that we have to try to work on and keep giving [the players] confidence because I repeat, I think the team plays well. We always do enough to deserve to win the game, but to win the games we have to be infinitely better. That’s what we have to correct. We have to reduce the number of mistakes we’re committing. If not, it’s tough to compete in any league at any level.”
- Updated team roster
- Injury Report:
- OUT: George Acosta (M) - left knee injury
- OUT: David Norman Jr (M) - left ankle injury
- OUT: Denso Ulysse (D) - left lower leg injury
- OUT: Juan Agudelo (F) - lower leg injury
- OUT: Andrés Reyes (D) - lower leg injury
- OUT: Luis Robles (GK) - fractured left arm
- Suspended: Leandro Gonzalez Pirez (D)
- Suspended after next caution: None
- International duty: Rodolfo Pizarro (M)
Series Matchup
- This is the second all-time meeting between the New York Red Bulls and Inter Miami CF with the Red Bulls winning 4-1 in Fort Lauderdale Sept. 23.
Officials
- Referee: Armando Villarreal
- Assistant Referees: Adam Wienckowski, Matthew Nelson
- 4th Official: Thomas Snyder
- VAR: Jose Carlos Rivero
