We’re there to win: FC Dallas looks to knock off Inter Miami

The biggest test for FC Dallas manager Eric Quill and his club is upon them. The club heads to South Florida to take on the only unbeaten team left in Major League Soccer after nine weeks, Inter Miami.

So far in 2025, FC Dallas has passed some tough road tests by beating rivals Houston and Real Salt Lake, while also picking up gritty draws in places like Atlanta, Colorado and Minnesota. But Quill and his staff aren’t planning on leaving South Beach with anything less than three points.

“We’re there to win. We’re not there to grab a point,” said Quill. “We’re trying to win every game that we play. They’re starting to act that way. That is all I can ask for is that they have the belief that we’re going there to win the game. We want to be celebrating three points.”

Picking up three points over Miami won’t be easy given the club’s current scoreless drought that goes back to the goal scored in Atlanta three weeks ago. The 2024 MLS Supporters Shield winners are the league’s only unbeaten club left after nine weeks. With names like Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, it is easy to see how Miami is unbeaten this far into the season.

“You have to identify all of their weaponry and any trends that they try to play with,“ explained Quill. “You‘ve seen it, most teams have seen it, but they execute it at a very high level. It has to be heightened awareness for 95-plus minutes. You have to keep a head on a swivel and know where guys are at.”

Dallas could take a page out of what the Vancouver Whitecaps were able to do on Thursday night in their meeting with Miami in the Concacaf Champions Cup. The Whitecaps held Miami to nine shots total on the night in their 2-0 win to begin their semifinal series.

Javier Mascherano could easily rotate his lineup to preserve his bigger stars for next week’s return leg against Vancouver. He also has some up and coming players like Benji Cremaschi, Telasco Segovia and Noah Allen, who have been stepping up and providing big moments.

“In one-v-one moments with guys like (Lionel) Messi and (Luis) Suarez, the guys have to study, but their moments are going to be there,” stated Quill. “We have to do a good job collectively, closing down passing lanes centrally, where they can really tear you apart. It is a tough ask, tough task, but the guys are up for it.”

Quill may have to continue to rotate his roster a bit in Miami. As of Friday, Leo Chu, Petar Musa and Sebastian Lletget were all still listed as out on the club’s injury report. The Dallas manager feels confident that anyone on his roster is able to step up in their place after seeing four new starters last week in Minnesota help pick up a scoreless draw.

“It is a roster that you want to be able to depend on and trust. It’s nice to have contributions from four new starters and to play as well as they did, you start to feel that you have a well balanced group that you can do a lot of things with. I like where this group is going and that if their number is called, I trust they’re going to deliver.”