Inter Miami vs New York City FC Projected Starting Lineup for MLS Opening Day

Lionel Messi

and Inter Miami CF

will kick off their 2025 MLS

campaign on Saturday night when they host New York City FC

at Chase Stadium.

Miami is fresh off a big 1-0 win over Sporting Kansas City in the first leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup first round at a freezing Children’s Mercy Park in Missouri.

Messi, predictably, scored the winning goal after a beautiful pair of touches to get free and fire off a shot with his weaker right foot.

The game was supposed to be played on Tuesday night, but was postponed by 24 hours due to severe winter weather, which included temperatures well below freezing and significant snowfall.

Major League Soccer then decided to push back the Herons’ season opener with NYCFC by a few hours, to offer Miami a slightly longer period to recover. The match was originally scheduled for 2:30PM ET — the first game of the new MLS season — but will now be played at 7:30PM ET.

Messi and Co. wrapped up a busy preseason schedule last Friday with a 2-2 draw against Orlando City SC

. Javier Mascherano’s squad began training camp with a game against Mexican giant Club America in Las Vegas, and then went on to play in Peru, Panama and Honduras before coming back stateside.

New York City FC, meanwhile, played six preseason games against MLS opposition — four of them taking place under the dry desert sun in Palm Springs at the Coachella Valley Invitational. They wrapped up their training camp with a 1-0 win over Minnesota United

last Saturday.

Where to Watch Inter Miami vs New York City FC

• When: Saturday, February 22 – 7:30PM ET / 4:30PM PT
• Where: Chase Stadium, Fort Lauderdale
• Where to watch in North America: Apple TV+

Inter Miami vs New York City FC Betting Odds

• Inter Miami to win: -140
• Draw: +300
• NYCFC to win: +330
• Both teams to score (Yes/No): -196 / +152
• Over/Under 3.5 goals: +132 / -162
• Lionel Messi to score or assist: -200
• Luis Suárez anytime goalscorer: +115
• Alonso Martinez anytime goalscorer: +200

Odds courtesy of FanDuel.

New York City FC Projected Lineup vs Inter Miami

The Pigeons had a relatively quiet offseason, not making any big splashes in terms of acquisitions over the winter. They did, however, see some key pieces move to Europe, including midfielder James Sands (St. Pauli), defender Christian McFarlane (Manchester City) and Jovan Mijatovic (Oud-Heverlee Leuven).

They did re-sign veteran Maxi Moralez, who had a strong return to the Big Apple last season after spending some time in his native Argentina.

Perhaps the most important bit of business, however, has been their ability to hold on to star striker Alonso Martinez, who scored 17 goals in his breakout season in 2024.

Pulling the strings behind him is Santiago Rodriguez, who registered 10 assists last year. The dynamic duo should start in South Florida on Saturday.

NYCFC predicted lineup (4-2-3-1): Matt Freese (GK) – Tayvon Gray, Thiago Martins, Birk Risa, Kevin O’Toole – Andrés Perea, Keaton Parks – Hannes Wolf, Santiago Rodriguez, Agustin Ojeda – Alonso Martinez.

Inter Miami Projected Lineup vs New York City FC

Javier Mascherano has plenty of options in terms of his starting lineup for Saturday’s home opener, but there are some pillars he will surely rely on throughout the season.

Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez will undoubtedly lead the line against NYCFC, with Sergio Busquets sitting at the base of midfield. Jordi Alba, who did not participate in the game against SKC on Wednesday, is likely to come back in at left-back.

Drake Callender should return to the net after sitting out in midweek, while USMNT youngster Benjamin Cremaschi could also get the nod in the starting 11 in midfield.

Inter Miami predicted lineup (4-4-2): Drake Callender (GK) – Marcelo Weigandt, Ian Fray, David Martinez, Jordi Alba – Tadeo Allende, Benjamin Cremaschi, Sergio Busquets, Federico Redondo – Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez.