Inter Miami CF have played like a team reborn over the last few weeks, feeling the full effect of a legendary trio – Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba – joining as summertime signings.
But FC Dallas, in Sunday night’s Leagues Cup Round of 16 matchup (9:30 pm ET | MLS Season Pass), can spoil the Herons’ party. At least they have every intention of doing that at Toyota Stadium, hosting Messi’s first MLS road trip.
“Our ultimate goal is to become champions of this new tournament and Inter Miami's going to come here and try and knock us out,” said FCD forward Jesús Ferreira. “This is our home. We have to respect them, but at the same time know they're here at our home and we need to make sure that we knock them out.”
The winner reaches a quarterfinal clash on Aug. 11-12 against either Charlotte FC or Houston Dynamo FC, bringing them one step closer to being crowned champions of the expanded competition between MLS and Liga MX opponents.
FC Dallas, who gained confidence from back-to-back wins over Mexican sides Necaxa and Mazatlán, recognize a different energy awaits.
“Messi coming, it's great for the league, the first time he's playing away,” said FCD winger Paul Arriola. “There’s no surprise that it'll be sold out and I'm sure there will be different colors in the stadium. But for us it's all about winning, it's all about competing and trying to win the championship.”
It’s also about corralling Messi, who formally joined Miami in mid-July and has delivered five goals and one assist in three matches. The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner has slotted onto the right wing, forming a strong partnership with Josef Martínez at striker and Robert Taylor at left wing in head coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino’s 4-3-3 formation.
Yet for Dallas head coach Nico Estévez, it’s not just about limiting arguably the greatest player of all time.
“Messi has a lot of strength, but he also has weaknesses,” said Estévez. “We have to exploit that. Every player in Miami we do the same. Every player in Miami deserves the respect that we have to treat them as who they are, professional players that are good. We treat Inter Miami as a collective.
“Of course, as with any other team that we analyze, we try to pick any individual, special talent. We've done that before with LAFC and Carlos Vela, \[Dénis\] Bouanga. We've done it before with Nashville and \[Hany\] Mukhtar. There are a lot of good players in the league. But we also think that the collective can beat the individual.”
Still, there is a level of respect – and even admiration – players often feel when facing Messi. That combination manifests especially in Dallas midfielder Alan Velasco, a fellow Argentine.
“We are going to welcome Lionel Messi and Inter Miami until the game starts,” said Velasco. “It will be a dream to play against Messi.”
Dallas left back Marco Farfan, anticipating his 1-v-1 matchup with Messi, said it boils down to a team effort. The stakes are clear.
“Everybody is treating this like a playoff game – it's win or go home,” said Farfan. “We want to go out there, bring the intensity and play our style and play with confidence.”
