Lionel Messi and Inter Miami CF return home Saturday night to host the New York Red Bulls in a battle of Eastern Conference heavyweights.
How to watch & stream
When
- Saturday, May 5 | 7:30 pm ET/4:30 pm PT
Where
- Chase Stadium | Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Winners of three straight, the Herons head into Matchday 12 with a 6W-2L-3D record – tops in the Supporters' Shield standings – thanks to the magic of Messi and a star-studded squad that also includes Luis Suárez and Sergio Busquets.
However, Miami have been far from perfect this season. No club is more aware of this than New York, who beat the Messi-less Herons back in late March for a 4-0 home win behind a Lewis Morgan hat trick.
Messi's record-breaking form has Miami atop the league standings, with the legendary Argentine No. 10 winning two of the last three Player of the Matchday awards. He's coming off a 2g/1a performance against the New England Revolution in front of a historic crowd at Gillette Stadium.
That 4-1 Miami win also featured the debut of the club's latest signing, MatÃas Rojas. The Paraguayan international, acquired before the close of the Primary Transfer Window, put in an impressive 15 minutes in his maiden appearance.
Fellow attackers Robert Taylor and Leonardo Campana also returned from injury, giving head coach Gerardo Martino more options as schedule congestion picks up with summer quickly approaching.
The Red Bulls are unbeaten in six (2W-0L-4D) and continue to impress under new head coach Sandro Schwarz. The 45-year-old manager has ushered in a new era at RBNY, most notably taking the club's trademark high-press Energy Drink model down a notch in favor of a system that plays more out of the back.
Add in new Designated Player Emil Forsberg, arguably the team's most impactful signing in years, and RBNY look like legit contenders capable of going toe-to-toe with the best that MLS has to offer.
They already showed what they can do to Miami back in Matchday 6. Can they do it again, this time in South Florida?
