Atlanta United begins its 2023 Leagues Cup competition on Tuesday night when the team travels to Fort Lauderdale to face Inter Miami CF. The 5-Stripes were drawn into Group South 3 alongside Miami and Cruz Azul. The Herons won the group opener last Friday night 2-1 against the Liga MX side thanks to a stoppage time winner from Lionel Messi. Atlanta United is coming off a 2-1 home defeat to Orlando City SC in its last MLS match before the Leagues Cup break. The 5-Stripes will look to get off to a good start before they host Cruz Azul this Saturday in the final match of group play. Let’s take a closer look at the Tools to the Match presented by The Home Depot against Inter Miami CF.
Erase bad taste from first meeting with Miami
Tuesday night’s match will mark the second meeting between Atlanta and Miami this season. The 5-Stripes traveled to Fort Lauderdale on May 6 and suffered a 2-1 defeat in MLS regular season action. Former Atlanta striker Josef Martinez scored a brace that night, while Andrew Gutman scored the lone Atlanta goal. Atlanta outshot Miami 17-9 in the match and forced four saves but weren’t able to find the back of the net more than once.
While this will be a different Miami team, the 5-Stripes will be focused on converting their scoring opportunities better on Tuesday night. Atlanta ranks fifth in MLS in big chance conversion, while also ranking tied for third in goals scored coming into Leagues Cup. If Atlanta can find the back of the net, especially early, that would be a big boost to bringing home three points.
Don’t get caught up in the Messi Show
Arguably the greatest player the sport has ever seen will be on the opposite side on Tuesday night. Messi made his Inter Miami debut in spectacular fashion last Friday night, scoring a stoppage-time free kick winner to give Miami the 2-1 victory. Despite only training with the team for a couple of days, Messi showed that he doesn’t need a lot of opportunities to make a difference. Atlanta’s defense and midfield needs to be focused and not allow Messi and former FC Barcelona star Sergio Busquets time and space in the middle of the pitch to operate.
Miami also features two strikers that Atlanta’s backline will need to be aware of. Martinez and Leonardo Campana haven’t found the back of the net as frequently as many expected at this stage of the season, but both have proven goalscoring quality in this league.
Set Pieces, Set Pieces, Set Pieces
Tuesday night’s match will feature two of the world’s best set piece takers, two current World Cup Champions. Thiago Almada leads MLS this season with three direct free kick goals, while Messi scored from a direct free kick in his Miami debut. One of the keys to Tuesday night’s match will be which team can win the set piece battle.
Atlanta has scored a league-high 14 goals off set pieces, while Miami has conceded a league-worst 15 goals off set pieces. If Atlanta can take advantage of those set piece opportunities, they could be primed to bring home three points.
Fans can tune in nationally on MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app on Tuesday night at 7:30pm ET when the action kicks off at DRV PNK Stadium. To hear the action on radio, tune into Sports Radio 92.9 The Game (English) or La Mejor – AM 1600 (Spanish).
Global competition
Leagues Cup, an annual month-long tournament featuring all clubs from MLS and Liga MX, runs July 26-August 25.
