Possibly the biggest test to date for FC Dallas is upon us. Eric Quill and his club head to South Beach this weekend for a Sunday afternoon clash against Lionel Messi and Inter Miami.
FC Dallas is on a remarkable unbeaten run away from home, but they'll take on a Miami squad that has yet to lose a game in 2025.
Let's dive into what Miami brings to Saturday's game and how FC Dallas can continue to pick up points away from home.
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Key Player: Lionel Messi
I mean, it is obvious, right?
Key Player not named Lionel Messi: Telasco Segovia
Segovia joined the club ahead of the 2025 season. The young Venezuelan currently has three goals and two assists on the season. Where Messi and Luis Suarez get a lot of the press in the Miami attack (and rightfully so), guys like Segovia are shining just outside of their spotlight this season.
Key Matchup: Lionel Messi vs Ramiro
The classic South American battle on the field. A Brazilian against an Argentine. Ramiro has been pretty solid this season in the Dallas midfield, but he's yet to come up against anyone half as good as Messi. Ramiro should come equipped with duct tape to keep Messi nearby at all times.
Availability Report1:
Suspended: none
Out: David Ruiz (hamstring), Baltasar RodrÃguez (hamstring), Ryan Sailor (hamstring)
Questionable: Federico Redondo (hamstring)
On Loan: none
International duty: none
Quick Notes:
Last time against FCD: It has been nearly two years since the last meeting between these two squads. Aside from the pretty epic Leagues Cup match in 2023, the last regular season meeting was also in 2023, at Chase Field. FC Dallas came away with a 1-0 win in that match.
How Miami scores their goals: What is wild to me is that Miami doesn't take a lot of 'poor' shots. A lot of their goals come within six or seven yards of the goal, too.
Recent form: Miami has five wins and three draws on the season. Aside from that, they've also made it to the quarterfinals of the Concacaf Champions Cup, where they're currently battling fellow MLS side Vancouver.
Potential Lineup:
Javier Mascherano will likely rotate his lineup for this matchup given the club's CCC match in Vancouver on Thursday night.
Callendar; Fray, Lujan, Allen, Alba; Busquets, Falcon; Messi, Cremaschi, Picault; Segovia
Keys To Three Points over Miami
- Don't lose sight of Messi: While I don't think Messi will go 90 minutes in this one after Thursday in Vancouver, I do think we'll still see him on the field at some point in this one. I don't think anyone on the field for Dallas is truly going to lose sight of him on Sunday night if he does play. But where I am going with this one is, they cannot let Messi slip into the penalty area or even around the penalty area after he passes the ball off to a teammate. There is more than enough video on Messi that proves he is a master of picking his moments around the penalty box, especially in a give-and-go situation.
- Lucho steps up: The old Ric Flair line was 'to be the best, you have to beat the best.' I think in a moment like this, Lucho Acosta has to find a way to be at his absolute best. Thankfully, he's no stranger to rising to the occasion against Messi and Miami.
- Defend the set pieces: So far in 2025, Dallas has set to conceed a set piece goal. This may be the first time they're truly tested in that area. Two of Miami's goals this season have come off set pieces.
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1 Note: MLS has a injury report deadline that doesn’t hit until the day before each game. Our scouting reports will include last week's report and will be fully updated the day before with our injury report for FC Dallas.
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