The Round 24 match of the 2025 Major League Soccer season between Inter Miami vs Cincinnati will be scheduled on Sunday, July 27, 2025, Kick-off at 12:30 AM UK time in the Inter Miami Stadium, in Miami.
FC Cincinnati leads the Eastern Conference with a record of 15–6–3 (48 points) and recently beat Miami 3–0 in their most recent meeting on July 17.
FC Cincinnati maintained momentum with a 1–0 win over Real Salt Lake thanks to a late goal by Luca Orellano. Miami bounced back from that loss with a commanding 5–1 win over the New York Red Bulls, as Lionel Messi scored a brace.
Inter Miami stands at 12–4–5 (41 points), sitting in fifth with three games in hand, which gives them a real chance to climb the table.
Inter Miami vs Cincinnati– 2025 MLS Match Preview, Prediction and Lineups
Table of Contents
Inter Miami vs Cincinnati Projected Lineups
Inter Miami (likely formation: 4‑4‑1 or 4‑5‑1)
- Goalkeeper: Rocco Ríos Novo (in the absence of Ustari and Callender)
- Defense: Marcelo Weigandt, Gonzalo Luján, Tomás Avilés, Noah Allen
- Midfield: Telasco Segovia, Sergio Busquets, Federico Redondo, Tadeo Allende (or Benjamin Cremaschi)
- Forward(s): Luis Suárez, Fafa Picault or Segovia
FC Cincinnati (possible 3‑4‑1‑2)
- Goalkeeper: Roman Celentano
- Defence: Miles Robinson, Matt Miazga, Lukas Engel (or DeAndre Yedlin in a back four)
- Midfield: Evander, Pavel Bucha, Tah Anunga, Luca Orellano
- Attack: Gerardo Valenzuela (or Sergio Santos) partnering with another forward, such as Orellano or Valenzuela
Team News & Availability
- Lionel Messi and Jordi Alba are both suspended for missing the MLS All-Star Game without an official medical excuse. The league has confirmed suspensions are likely, with no exemptions granted yet.
- Miami has multiple absences through injury and suspension: Oscar Ustari, Drake Callender (goalkeepers), Ian Fray, Noah Allen, Baltasar Rodríguez, and Maximiliano Falcón (suspended). Yannick Bright, Gonzalo Luján, and Allen Obando remain questionable.
- FC Cincinnati will be without top striker Kévin Denkey, as well as Obinna Nwobodo and Yuya Kubo, due to injuries.
- Despite Denkey’s absence, Evander continues to shine—with 15 league goals and 8 assists—and remains a pivotal threat for Cincy.
Tactical Preview & Key Battles
Miami without Messi and Alba faces a significant blow to their creativity and left flank dynamism. Busquets and Segovia will be leaned on heavily to step up.
Cincinnati’s Evander continues as the form player in MLS with 23 goal contributions this season and a strong leadership presence, including in the All-Star Game.
Recent encounters have tended to produce multiple goals: seven of Cincinnati’s past eight home games have seen 3+ goals; similarly high goal totals have featured in Miami’s recent matches as well.
Prediction
MLS Multiplex leans toward a 2–1 Miami win, arguing that the Herons’ home momentum and Suarez’s experience could edge them in a tight contest even without Messi.
Given the absence of Messi and Alba, combined with Cincinnati’s strong recent form and the volume of scoring in each team’s fixtures, the likeliest outcome appears to be a draw, with a potential slight edge to FC Cincinnati given their stability and fewer key absences.
