Orlando City 1-1 Inter Miami: summary, score, goals, highlights, MLS 2023
Orlando City - Inter Miami: as it happened
Difficult to tell if Tata Martino will be happy with the point considering the absence of key personnel as Inter Miami now set their sights on the US Open Cup on Wednesday before facing firect playoff rival NYCFC in MLS next weekend
The whistle sounds and it ends 1-1
Cremaschi off and Ulloa is his replacement
4 minutes of added time to be used.
Jansson now carded too as he barges Ruiz out of the way.
The game is wide open now as tiredness kicks in.
Cremaschi pulls up as he runs and the visitors win a corner as they look for the winner
Uyrso on for Pereyra, another Orlando switch
Gonzalez on for McGuire (Orlando sub)
We're into the final ten minutes of the contest.
Robinson replaces the Finnsih intrnational.
Taylor needs medical attention and the Finnish winger limps from the pitch.
Arroyo now carded.
Quarter of an hour remaining at the Exploria Stadium.
Change for Orlando
Angulo is off and Enrique is his replacement
Change for Miami
Martinez off - Farias on
Taylor shoots but drives straight at Gallese.
The ball breaks kindly for the striker as he fires between Callender's legs.
Great work from Orlando as Angulo does well and latches onto a fine through ball.
The Colombian lacks the composure and dinks the ball wide.
Rodrigo Schlegel carded as he catches Campana with an elbow.
Fast approaching the hour mark and this result would propel Inter Miami up to 11th position and just two spaces away from the all important ninth place.
That yellow for Yedlin will see the defender miss the next MLS game (vs NYCFC next weekend).
Yedlin too having his name taken.
Goalscorer Ruiz carded
Campana finds Martinez who shoots on goal and Gallese can only spill into the patch of Ruiz who stabs home.
Goooool.
Inter Miami open the scoring ...
Fine effort from Torres as the Uruguayan strikes from distance and Callender is forced to get down and save well.
Ojeda on for Orlando with Araujo the player who makes way.
Miller and Sailor on for Inter Miami
Aviles and Serhiy Kryvtsov, the players making way.
So, not too much to set the pulse racing from that first 45 minutes of action.
Inter Miami are a very average side without the influence and creativity of Messi, Alba and Busquets. Yedlin and Campana look good for Miami in flashes but Tata Martino's team lack any consistency.
Orlando started well and had the better chances over the first 45 minutes.
The whistle sounds and we go to the break with no goals.
Josef Martinez has a go but the striker gets under the ball and fires high and wide.
Serhiy Kryvtsov goes to ground and it looks like the former Shakhtar Donetsk man won't be able to carry on.
2 minutes of time to be added.
Miami do really well as Campana and Yedlin work well and the ball is out for a corner.
Schlegel is furious as tempers start to fray in the derby.
Campana tries the most audacious flick which doesn't really come off but shows the confidence level of the striker.
Campana almost heads home but the Orlando keeper palms away.
Into the final five minutes of the half and Inter Miami still manage to keep Orlando at bay.
Goal scoring chances at a premium.
Play held up as Martinez clips Jansson and the Swede needs medical attention.
Orlando have dominated and look like the only team threatening.
Just the Campana shot for Inter Miami fans to get excited about.
Cremaschi is carded as he grabs Cartagena after being nutmegged.
Orlando almost take the lead as Duncan Maguire is set free and the 22-year-old sees his shot well saved by Callender in the Miami goal.
Aviles fouls again and is really walking a tightrope.
The 19-year-old is lucky to still be on the field.
Campana has a go from distance and forces Gallese to save.
Aviles carded for yet another foul. The ref has had enough and brandishes the first card of the evening.
Josef Martinez is really the shadow of the player he used to be ... the Venezuela striker yet to win any of the 50-50 balls he has disputed so far this evening.
If ever a player needed a big goal to provide an injection of confidence.
Orlando almost take the lead as the ball fizzes in from the left hand side and none of the three players in purple can get that all important touch.
Once again, major question marks over the Inter Miami defending.
Angulo almost gets a shot on target but some last gasp defending from Miami saves the day for the Herons.
Ruiz does well and gets a shot off from the most acute of angles.
Possession so far: Orlando 41-59 Miami (%)
Inter Miami yet to really trouble Gallese in the Orlando City goal.
Inter Miami finally enjoying some time on the ball.
Good movement from Cremaschi but the flag is up.
Aviles takes Anguulo out and the Inter Miami defender is fortunate to escape without a yellow card.
Some robust challenges being made from the visitors.
Many Orlando fans craving revenge for the Leagues Cup defeat at the hands of Miami with Lions supporters furious with the match officials that night at the DRV PNK Stadium.
Big noise levels at Exploria Stadium, the home fans certainly up for the derby.
All set in Florida.
The home side start the game.
The teams take to the pitch... the battle of the side in purple from West Florida against Miami in pink from the south of the Sunshine State !
The big question....
...is can Inter Miami deliver without the three former FC Barcelona stars?
We've seen a degree of inconsistency from Tata Martino's men in recent weeks and the team certainly miss the creative influence of Busquets and the calm and magic that Messi offers.
Josef Martinez needs to step up and provide the goods and what better place to start than with the Sunshine derby.
A win would push the Herons up to joint 11th in the table with Inter Miami still with games in hand.
Kick off just 15 minutes away as Exploria Stadium continues to fill up as the Florida derby looms.
Inter Miami not alone in Orlando
There is a solid showing of travelling fans from Miami with the small away sector full of La Familia fan group with plenty of 1896 Vice City shirts visible.
Orlando on a roll
Oscar Pareja's side are solid at home where they remain unbeaten with seven wins and four draws.
Para seguir Orlando v Inter Miami en Castellano, pinche en el enlace arriba.
To follow Orlando v Inter Miami in Spanish, click the link above.
Pareja names Orlando XI
Oscar Pareja has named his Orlando City SC side ahead of the derby with the team captained by Uruguayan Mauricio Pereyra.
Inter Miami XI confirmed
Leo Campana and Josef Martinez lead the line for Miami with Cremaschi and Taylor on the flanks. With no Messi, Yedlin captains the side.
Inter Miami yet to win in Orlando
In their five meetings at Exploria Stadium, the Lions have claimed two wins and seen three games drawn.
How key a win for Miami would be in breaking the hoodoo and more importantly bag three points as the playoff quest contimues.
Orlando City absentees
Both Adam Grinwis (Left Thigh), Favian Loyola (Left Arm) are ruled out of Sunday's clash with a question mark hanging over Antônio Carlos' availability.
Orlando City make playoffs for 4th consecutive season
The Lions are in the playoffs and will also look to the game against Miami to generate a new points record for the club.
In 2021 Orlando secured 51 points and Oscar Pareja's men currently have 50 pts. with five games remaining in the regular season.
Inter Miami: one to watch
With no Messi for Miami, the spotlight falls on Leonardo Campana with the Ecuadorian striker having bagged nine goals this season so far.
He opened the scoring last week at Atlanta in a game that ultimately went against Miami and popped up with a brace in the recent win over Sporting KC.
Orlando City: one to watch
Uruguayan striker Facundo Torres will be looking to add to his twelve MLS 2023 strikes for the season to date.
Earlier this summer, Torres scored his first international goal in a 2–0 friendly victory over Cuba and was an unused sub by the South American side at the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
What would defeat in Orlando mean for Miami?
A loss in the derby would by no means rule Tata Martino's men out of their quest for a playoff place, as the games become less frequent ahead of the 21 October MLS Decision Day, a failure to pick up points would be a blow for Miami with six teams having already mathematically secured the nine postseason places avaiable.
Orlando and Inter Miami’s recent meetings
The most recent match-up between the two teams came in the Leagues Cup in August, when Inter Miami earned a 3-1 last-32 victory over the Lions at DRV PNK Stadium. The teams’ last meeting in MLS, on the other hand, brought a 3-1 victory for Orlando in May.
Miami are ready
Inter Miami will sport their iconic pink shirts tonight in the Florida derby with Orlando set to wear their traditional purple home jerseys.
Inter Miami’s predicted line-up vs Orlando City:
With none of the big summer signings being available for Tata Martino tonight, this is the expected starting XI for the Herons.
Goalkeeper: Drake Callender
Defenders: Robert Taylor, Tomás Avilés, Serhiy Kryvtsov, Christopher McVey, Noah Allen
Midfielders: David Ruiz, Dixon Arroyo, Benjamín Cremaschi
Forwards: Leonardo Campana, Facundo Farías
Following last Saturday's setback in Atlanta where the Herons were on the wrong side of a 5-2 drubbing, the South Florida outfit bounced back midweek to keep their outside playoff dreams alive with a 3-0 win over Toronto.
Despite a 2-0 defeat away to NYCFC this midweek, the Lions mathematically sealed their place in the 2023 MLS postseason and will now look to ensure a top four spot to have home advantage for the forthcoming playoff games at the end of October.
Hello and welcome to our live MLS coverage as Inter Miami face Orlando City at Exploria Stadium in the Florida derby.