Inter Miami's Lionel Messi, Jordi Alba in question vs. FC Cincinnati
FC Cincinnati (15-6-3, 48 points) blanked Inter Miami 3-0 on July 16 and surged to the top spot in the conference following a 1-0 win over Real Salt Lake last Saturday.
Inter Miami will host FC Cincinnati in a matchup of two of the top five teams in the Eastern Conference on Saturday night in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
FC Cincinnati (15-6-3, 48 points) blanked Inter Miami 3-0 on July 16 and surged to the top spot in the conference following a 1-0 win over Real Salt Lake last Saturday.
Inter Miami (12-4-5, 41 points) rebounded from its loss to Cincinnati with a 5-1 win over the New York Red Bulls last Saturday and sit in fifth place with three more matches to play than each of the East's top four teams.
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FC Cincinnati held Lionel Messi without a goal in the previous matchup, snapping the superstar's league-record streak of five matches with a brace.
But Miami enters Saturday's clash with some uncertainty surrounding two of their biggest stars after Messi and Jordi Alba did not participate in Wednesday's All-Star Game.
MLS rules state that any All-Star player who does not participate in the game without either a reported injury or a league-granted exemption faces a one-match suspension. The league has yet to announce such a move.
"Most of our teams had a 10-day break. Miami hasn't," MLS commissioner Don Garber said Wednesday. "So we have to manage that as a league. At the same time, we do have rules, and we have to manage through that as well."
Cincinnati superstar Evander, who scored two goals in the recent victory over Miami, served as team captain in the MLS All-Stars' 3-1 win over the Liga MX All-Stars.
Evander also set a record in the All-Star Game Skills challenge for points scored. He enters Saturday's game with the third-most goal contributions in the league (23).
"Just playing (and) just enjoying the moment," Evander said on the Apple TV broadcast. "I was kind of focused on the targets, and I did it."
Luca Orellano, who scored the lone goal in the win over Real Salt Lake, also continues to be a force in terms of creating scoring chances. For Cincinnati, Ahoueke Denkey (leg), Obinna Nwobodo (leg) and Yuya Kubo (ankle) remain out.
Miami is expected to again be without injured goalkeeper Oscar Ustari and likely will turn to Rocco Rios Novo in net again. Maxi Falcon also is out due to yellow card accumulation.
