Inter Miami CF is set to carry on with its title-defending campaign this Saturday, August 3, with the team traveling to Houston to take on LIGA MX side Tigres UANL in its second and final Leagues Cup 2024 group stage fixture. Kick off at NRG Stadium is set for 8 p.m. ET.
Inter Miami will face Tigres after earning a 0-2 win over Club Puebla in the team's opening Leagues Cup 2024 group stage matchup last Saturday. The team began its Leagues Cup title defense by defeating the LIGA MX outfit with goals by midfielder Matías Rojas and forward Luis Suárez.
“The boot has come off, he’s now working at the gym but hasn’t made it out onto the field yet [for training.]”
The Liga MX side continue to expect a difficult match, as captain Guido Pizarro labeled Inter Miami a team with players of “hierarchy.”
“We know Miami is an opponent with players of great hierarchy and experience. We have the expectation to give a good performance, and a perfect game by getting the details right,” he told ESPN.
“It’s a unique game against Inter Miami due to the stars that they have and the nuances they have, but we have to concentrate on doing a better job to get through the first stage of the tournament.”
Still, he said Tigres will be a protagonist in Houston.
“Tigres has gotten accustomed to being a protagonist in every tournament we compete in.”
Liga MX teams enter Leagues Cup after playing just four matches of the 2024 Apertura tournament, which Martino insists are favorable conditions in comparison to last year.
Mexican teams have struggled to compete against MLS competitions in this edition of Leagues Cup, with sides like Puebla and Queretaro facing early elimination ahead of the final group stage match.
“The conditions with which the Mexican teams arrive are better than last year’s edition,” Martino said. “There are many teams that, in this case, Tigres that do not have to travel, played the other day in Houston.
“Last year I think there were even fewer dates in the local league, so four games is more than enough to see a team that is in rhythm, especially considering that the regular phase in Mexico has 17 dates, four dates is almost 25% of the league,” he said.
“So there is not much time to get in shape because it is not a 38-date tournament. For the Mexican teams, it is good that it is like this so that we all have the same possibilities.”
Following the match against Tigres, the reigning Leagues Cup champions will host either Toronto FC or Pachuca on Thursday night at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for the round-of-32 clash.
The 33-year-old Mexican midfielder’s goal gave eight-time Liga MX champion Tigres the victory at Houston and the title in group play.
Tigres will take on Inter Miami after defeating fellow LIGA MX side Club Puebla 2-1 on Wednesday in the team's first Leagues Cup 2024 group stage game, with midfielder Sebastián Córdova and defender Diego Reyes scoring the goals for Tigres on the night.
With the win against Club Puebla, Inter Miami secured a spot in the Leagues Cup 2024 Round of 32.
The Leagues Cup had one game that everybody wanted to see when the draw happened, Group N had two Liga MX teams and the most prestigious MLS team. Lionel Messi was signed by Inter Miami and then he decided to bring multiple FC Barcelona teammates along with him. When Club Tigres’ fans found out Leo Messi’s Inter Miami would visit Monterrey’s ‘El Volcan’ stadium, they weren’t expecting him to suffer a nasty ankle injury during the Copa America final. People hoped he would return in time but the recovery is taking longer than expected. To add insult to injury, Luis Suarez is also having physical issues and he also missed the game. A situation that gave room for Tigrs to get better winning chances.
Before the 20th minute mark, there was a moment that gave Tigres the advantage but it also catapulted Argentine striker Juan Brunetta to an almost certain Puskas-award nomination by the end of the year. The goal had everything, it happened in a stressful moment that was getting prolonged inside the Inter miami box. Brunetta caught a volley that made a wonderful arch to get in. A goal worthy of the best European teams in the old continent. Ibanez was the one who assisted Brunetta for the opening goal. Both teams went to the dressing rooms for a break but the goals were still coming.
It took Inter Miami almost half an hour to pull one back for their side, it came through a penalty kick scored by Leo Campana. But Juan Pablo Vigon managed to get the winner with another golazo that came from a defensive deflection. It was a 2-1 result at home that made Inter Miami fans really sad, especially because they weren’t able to enjoy Lionel Messi’s presence on the field. Luis Suarez was sorely missed too. Tigres has the top spot with 6 points while Inter miami finished second with 3 points. Tigres’ goalie Nahuel Guzman was also one of the most important players of the game.
The loss was a blow to Inter Miami's hopes of defending their Leagues Cup title, but the team still managed to advance to the next round, where they will face either CF Pachuca or Toronto FC.
Inter Miami’s rival will be determined this Sunday, August 4, with Pachuca and Toronto facing each other at 8 p.m. ET in their final group stage game in search of advancing to the Round of 32.
