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After being pushed to the brink by FC Dallas and surviving a penalty shootout to make it to the last eight of Leagues Cup, Inter Miami were able to survive adversity and advance, with the help of another two goals from Lionel Messi, of course. But while Messi has been excellent, in each match his supporting cast has helped too as 18-year-old Benjamin Cremaschi was able to score a goal and the shootout-deciding penalty now giving Miami a shot at Charlotte FC on Friday night.
Able to overturn a second-half deficit against the Houston Dynamo, Charlotte are a team that have been able to score with ease and press against their opposition which could give Miami some issues in the match. With how the midfield performed against Dallas, Tata Martino is expected to make adjustments and those will be critical to how Miami responds to teams gaining more tape on them.
Stopping Messi is certainly a challenge for any team but if opponents can exploit the midfield to stop service to Messi, that’s where there is room to prey on the weak defense of the Herons.
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How to watch and odds
Date: Friday, Aug. 11 Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
Location: DRV PNK Stadium — Fort Lauderdale, Florida
TV: None