Inter Miami – MASSIVE REPORT

The Columbus Crew’s 2023 season continues with a rare Tuesday night game. That’s because Major League Soccer wants games on the Fourth of July, but it also means teams, including the Crew and Inter Miami, have to play on very short rest. That will be the case in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Columbus is still without left wing back Will Sands following his season-ending injury, but the rest of the roster is healthy. Midfielders Aidan Morris and Kevin Molino are no longer at the Gold Cup, but will be unlikely to make the trip to Miami. Forward Jacen Russell-Rowe is yet to finish the group stage in the Gold Cup with Canada and is unavailable.

Let’s take a look at how we predict the Blackk & Gold will line up in this match.

Goalkeeper Patrick Schulte is coming off a Man of the Match performance and is firmly entrenched as the starting goalkeeper for the Crew. That will not change against Miami.

Head coach Wilfried Nancy decided to not change the backline after a near-perfect June and the Black & Gold won again on Saturday without a traditional center back. Defender Milos Degenek made a substitute appearance to help close out and secure a victory. Degenek will start in this match, as will Gustavo Vallecilla as the left center back. Steven Moreira will shift back over to the right center back. 

This is a good match to give Luis Diaz a chance as a right wing back. Mohamed Farsi put in another full shift on Saturday and should get a rest against Miami. The Costa Rican could make it difficult for the Inter backline with his speed. Wing back Malte Amundsen finally gets to play in a more natural position with Vallecilla back in the lineup. The Crew traded for Amundsen to play as a left wing back and due to injuries, the Dane has barely seen time at this position. 

If the Black & Gold want to get midfielder Taha Habroune any first-time minutes in MLS, this could be a good game to get him on the field, especially alongside captain Darlington Nagbe. Without Morris and with midfielder Sean Zawadzki playing a full 90 minutes just three days prior, having fresh legs could be important. Habroune played only 30 minutes for the reserve team over the weekend. 

It seems unlikely to think that the attacking trio of forwards Cucho Hernandez, Christian Ramirez and playmaker Lucas Zelarayan will start again on such a quick turnaround. Instead, the Crew will look to manage Zelarayan’s minutes and bring him on in the second half once the Miami defenders have tired. Forward Max Arfsten will get a chance to start up top with Hernandez and midfielder Alexandru Matan.