Inter Miami will head to Paraguay as their preseason begins to come to a close facing Olimpia. While the Herons have played in five different countries so far, they’ve had a more condensed preseason than last season which saw them travelling around Asia before kicking off MLS play. Some of the reasoning behind that is because Javier Mascherano needs to get the team ready for Concacaf Champions Cup play where the Herons will face Sporting Kansas City on Wednesday.
Playing teams in the Americas will help prepare Miami for the Champions Cup where they’d like to at least make the final after coming up short last season but the team is trending in the right direction with an undefeated preseason so far.
Here are our storylines, how you can watch the match and more:
How to watch and odds
- Date: Saturday, Feb. 8 | Time: 8 p.m. ET
- Location: Estadio Manuel Ferreira — Asuncion, Paraguay
- Live stream: IntermiamiCF.com
The season is approaching quickly
With the season approaching quickly, Mascherano will be happy with Miami’s preparation so far but the pressure is always different once the lights turn on to begin the season. With changes to the defense and midfield, while Miami will face a Sporting Kansas City side in CCC play that disappointed last season, things shift quickly in Major League Soccer so no team can be overlooked.
The Herons have gotten better in their build-up as the preseason progressed, and of course, things are easier with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez in the XI. How Miami gets them the ball in space will determine how the season goes but growth from younger players like Benjamin Cremaschi will be needed to progress across the board in competitions. After coming up short in the MLS Cup playoffs, the standard has been set so with the preseason coming to a close, results will matter more.
Prediction
Playing one of South America’s best teams in a hostile environment will be a good growth experience for Inter Miami as they take care of business, continuing their undefeated preseason. Pick: Olimpia 1, Inter Miami 3
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