Columbus Crew vs Inter Miami – News and Probable Lineups

In the closing match of the MLS weekend, Inter Miami will look to either keep pace with or surpass the New Inglaterra Revolution for the second spot in the Eastern Conference as they head to ScottsMiracle-Gro Field for a fixture against the Columbus Crew this Sunday.

A recent 2-0 victory over CF Montreal has propelled the Crew to 13th in the East, while Miami is positioned just below the Revolution, aiming for second on goal difference as they enter this weekend’s fixtures after a 2-2 draw at home against San Diego.

Match overview

Securing a playoff spot for a fourth consecutive season will be a tough task for Columbus considering their current form and ranking.

Head coach Laurent Courtois will require his team to improve quickly, as they are presently seven points adrift of the playoff line with four teams above them.

A win this Sunday would mark their longest domestic winning streak this season (two), and would only be their third league triumph since August.

The US Open Cup finalists have experienced defeats in three of their last four home matches in this tournament, failing to score in those three losses.

In 2026, Columbus has not secured a win in seven regular-season matches when they have scored first, having dropped 19 points in the process.

With a victory or a draw on Thursday, they would remain unbeaten against Inter Miami during a single regular season for the first time in franchise history.

While Miami’s position in the table may not reflect it, they have seen a significant decline in their MLS performance in recent weeks.

The team went from being in close contention with Nashville SC for the top spot in the East to battling for home-field advantage in the first round of the playoffs, with a mere three points separating them from fourth-placed Charlotte FC.

This Sunday, they will be aiming to break a four-match winless streak in the league, as Kily Gonzalez’s side has struggled to maintain leads late in games in three out of those four encounters.

Simultaneously, the defending Campeones Cup and MLS Cup champions have the chance to extend their unbeaten streak in this tournament to six matches.

This weekend, the Herons could also achieve a ninth away league victory, exceeding their tally from the 2025 season (eight).

Inter Miami has claimed three victories out of their last four encounters with the Crew in Columbus, earning a narrow 1-0 win in this matching fixture a year ago.

Team News

For the upcoming match this weekend, the Crew will be without Wessam Abou Ali, who is still recovering from a torn cruciate ligament.

Chase Adams, Nicholas Hagen, Steven Moreira, Cole Mrowka, and Gonzalo Tapia are also set to miss out due to international duties.

Mohamed Farsi and Brais Mendez were among the scorers in last week’s victory over Montreal, while goalkeeper Patrick Schulte managed to keep a clean sheet by saving both shots on target.

Miami will be missing Tadeo Allende with a knee injury, Israel Boatwright is out with a cruciate ligament tear, and Yannick Bright will be unavailable due to a yellow card suspension.

During this international period, Lionel Messi will announce his farewell from the Argentine national team, with several players including Alexander Shaw, Dayne St. Clair, Daniel Pinter, Loven’s Delinois, Matias Galarza, Rodrigo De Paul, Fricio Caicedo, and German Berterame also called up by their respective national teams.

Messi and Luis Suarez both scored for Miami last Sunday, with Messi currently leading the league in goals and assists with tallies of 20 and 13, respectively.

Columbus Crew probable starting XI:

Schulte; Farsi, Bailly, Zawadzki, Amundsen; Lennon, Gomes, Habroune, Mendez; Rodriguez, Martínez

Inter Miami probable starting XI:

New Rivers; Mura, Micael, Falcon, Reguilon; Ayala, Casemiro, Morales; Plambeck, Suarez, Silvetti

Recently, Miami has become overly reliant on Messi, and even that has not proven sufficient for the team.

Without him, it is believed they could still manage to secure a result against a struggling Crew side, but that’s about it.