Inter Miami vs Charlotte FC Lineups and Starting 11s as Messi eyes a trophy

Inter Miami return to their Fort Lauderdale home of Chase Stadium on Saturday after a pair of road trips last week. They’re in the lead for the Supporters’ Shield, the trophy given to the MLS club with the most points at the end of the regular season. They’re also in reach of setting the single-season points record, needing 10 points from their final four matches to break New England’s 2022 record of 73 points.

Lionel Messi has played in their last three matches after returning from a lengthy injury absence, starting against the Philadelphia Union and New York City FC with a 30-minute cameo off the bench against Atlanta United sandwiched in between. Miami are set to get a boost on Saturday, with Sergio Busquets returning after missing last weekend for personal reasons (he proposed to his long-time girlfriend), while Diego Gómez and Matías Rojasare back in training after their own injuries.

Charlotte FC are in sixth place in the Eastern Conference, looking to both climb the table in the East and secure home-field advantage in the first round of the playoffs with a Top 4 finish, as well as improving an attack that has struggled for most of the year. Their 36 goals scored are tied for the fourth-fewest in the league, and they don’t have a single player on their team with double-digit goals this season.

With Miami chasing history and Charlotte chasing a higher seed in the postseason, expect both teams to go with their strongest-possible 11s on Saturday.

Inter Miami Lineup vs Charlotte FC

All of Miami’s stars are healthy and available

Federico Redondo avoided a yellow card against NYCFC last weekend, and he’ll start, although he’s one card away from a suspension. Sergio Busquets is back in the starting lineup after missing the last two matches due to suspension and to be with his pregnant fiancé to welcome their third child, who was recently born.

Diego Gómez is back in the starting lineup, having worked his way back from a hamstring injury. Similarly, Matías Rojas also returned to full training this week and is available off the bench though there’s no reason to rush him back too quickly from an ankle injury. A few minutes as a substitute may be the best way to ease him back in.

• Inter Miami lineup (4-3-3, left to right): Drake Callender (GK) — Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets, Tómas Aviles, Marcelo Weigandt — Federico Redondo, Yannick Bright, Julian Gressel — Diego Gómez, Luis Suárez, Lionel Messi
• Inter Miami subs (9): Oscar Ustari (GK), Franco Negri, Ian Fray, Sergiy Kryvtsov, Robert Taylor, David Ruiz, Benja Cremaschi, Matías Rojas, Leonardo Campana
• Injured (4):Out – Leo Afonso (groin), Facundo Farías (knee – season-ending), Nicolás Freire (knee – season-ending), Hector David Martinez (groin)
• Suspended: Noah Allen (yellow card accumulation)

Charlotte Lineup vs Inter Miami

Patrick Agyemang is making himself undroppable

Karol Świderski hasn’t exactly lit the league on fire, but he gets the start. After returning from a loan with Italian club Hellas Verona this spring, and Charlotte unable to find a permanent transfer for him, he was unceremoniously dropped back into the starting lineup. He’s been mostly fine, scoring twice in six matches, but hasn’t looked like a difference-maker.

Patrick Agyemang, on the other hand, has been electric. The 23-year-old, taken 12th-overall in the 2023 SuperDraft, leads the team with eight goals and five assists in 27 appearances (18 starts), but he will start the match on the bench.

Another interesting wrinkle for head coach Dean Smith was the use of 37-year-old U.S. International Tim Ream as a left back last Saturday. The Fulham veteran has been primarily a left-sided center back throughout his professional career, but sliding him into a stay-at-home left-back role allowed Smith to bring back Andrew Privett into the starting XI. Prior to Ream’s arrival, Privett and Adilson Malanda had formed arguably the league’s best center-back duo, and getting all three on the pitch at the same time may be a way to bring even more defensive solidity. Smith will bring back this four-man backline against Miami.

• Charlotte FC lineup (4-3-3, left to right): Kristijan Kahlina (GK) — Tim Ream, Andrew Privett, Adilson Malanda, Nathan Byrne — Brandt Bronico, Ashley Westwood, Junior Urso — Liel Abada, Karol Świderski, Pep Biel
• Charlotte FC subs (9): Chituru Odunze (GK), Jaylin Lindsey, Jere Uronen, Djibril Diani, Bill Tuiloma, Kerwin Vargas, Iuri Tavares, Jamie Paterson, Patrick Agyemang
• Injured (1): Nikola Petković (knee)
• Suspended: None