Inter Miami vs Charlotte FC: 1 v 1 battles to watch
By Brian Maurer
After picking up four points through their first two MLS matches, Charlotte FC heads south to face the defending Supporters' Shield winners, Inter Miami. It's an opportunity for the Crown to show the rest of the Conference that they mean business and can compete for a top 4 finish in the East.
Here are three 1 v 1 matchups that could be pivotal to the outcome of this Sunday night fixture:
Lionel Messi vs Adilson Malanda
Messi is the ultimate game-breaker. He has been playing more centrally this season, so instead of occupying the left-back as he has in past matchups versus Charlotte he will likely occupy the center-backs more. Malanda defending the Argentine forward will be key to reducing his impact on the game. Last year when Charlotte traveled to Miami, Messi didn't have a strong showing but he still put in a golazo to tie the game. Doing everything you can to keep track of him and reduce his access to the ball in dangerous areas will be the most important focus in this game for the Crown.
Messi was rotated out of the Heron's midweek Concacaf Champions Cup match against Cavalier so he should be set to play this weekend.
Sergio Busquets vs Brandt Bronico
Reducing Miami's attackers' access to the ball will prevent Messi and co. from causing problems on Charlotte's defensive line. Busquets got over 100 touches in Miami's home opener in week one versus NYCFC and he will likely be working to get the ball a bunch to help connect play with the forward line again this Sunday. Bronico will need to use his endless energy to limit the time Busquets has and make life annoying and difficult for the Spaniard to try and reduce his world-class distribution.
Noah Allen vs Patrick Agyemang
Last year, Agyemang did not earn the start when the Crown traveled to Miami and the game was screaming for his style of play. Agyemang will get that opportunity this Sunday. Charlotte will need to disrupt Miami's control of the ball and the game and a part of that strategy will be to keep putting the ball in over the top where their young striker can chase it down and create a few chances.
Allen has started in both MLS matches for Miami this year and will likely be one of the two center-backs charged with trying to limit Agyemang's impact on the game. Allen is quite a bit smaller than Agyemang which could make this match-up more intriguing as he will have to get creative in how defends an attacker who is nearly a foot taller than him.
Summary
This game will come down to how whether Charlotte can disrupt Miami from playing the way they want to play, which is a heavy-possession game that is slow and methodical with plenty of attacking volume. If the Crown is going to disrupt the Herons they will need to prevent their key distributors from having access to the ball and limiting time and space in those moments when players like Busquets and Messi have possession.
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