Preview: Dallas vs. Inter Miami - prediction, team news, lineups

The Herons lost their previous meeting against The Toros last year (2-1) and are currently three points back of a playoff berth in the Eastern Conference, while Dallas have dropped to fourth in the West, with just one point in their last three MLS affairs.

Match preview

Sitting in a top-four position at the midway point of the 2022 season is an encouraging sign for Nico Estevez and his team, who are eight points better than they were at this stage a year ago.

Even though they are vastly improved as a whole from what we saw in 2021, this group have regressed a little in recent outings, conceding multiple goals in three straight matches, putting them only four points above the playoff line.

Their form at home may have been one of the few positives from last season, as 22 of their 33 points came at Toyota Stadium.

It has been a different story for them at home of late though, with The Toros losing back-to-back fixtures in Frisco, while being outscored by a margin of 4-1.

So far this season, the contributions from their attacking threats have turned them into a playoff team, as some intelligent spending over the off-season has paid off handsomely for Dallas, who have 27 goals so far this year.

They look sharper on the ball and solid in transition, however, they still tend to suffer a few mental lapses when losing possession, which cost them on Wednesday against Los Angeles FC, as they ran out of steam in the second half, losing 3-1.

The topsy-turvy year for Phil Neville and Inter Miami appears to be back on track, with The Herons collecting at least a point in five of their previous six MLS encounters.

In recent weeks, Miami have shown more desire and fight than we saw at the start of the campaign, when they failed to win their opening five games, looking at times disinterested and out of sorts.

In a rather cagey affair last Saturday, the club from South Beach showed us something we rarely saw out of them in 2021, some resilience and drive to change their predicament.

They scored twice in three minutes to erase a 1-0 deficit and defeat Minnesota United (2-1), thanks to those late tallies, helping to rescue some valuable points.

The determination of this team has been evident on a few occasions in 2022, with The Herons winning half of their games so far this year (three) after conceding the opening goal.

While they have taken a step forward when it comes to their in-game reactions, Miami continue to struggle on the road, conceding 13 times, while failing to score in four consecutive domestic affairs away from home.

Part of the reason they have suffered outside of PNK Stadium is the fact they have not been able to start on the front foot and take the crowd out of the game, tallying first in only one of their road fixtures this year.

Dallas Major League Soccer form:

Inter Miami Major League Soccer form:

Inter Miami form (all competitions):

Team News

Dallas striker Jesus Ferreira moved into the Golden Boot lead, notching his 10th of the year on Wednesday, as he and Paul Arriola have formed quite the partnership in The Toros' attack, combining for 24 goals contributions so far this year.

That duo have accounted for the majority of their offence, with their next highest scorer being Brandon Servania, who has two goals and three assists, while Matt Hedges hit a milestone earlier this week, surpassing 25,000 minutes played, the most all-time in franchise history and eighth among active MLS players.

Goalkeeper Maarten Paes will be sticking around for a little while longer after the club signed the Dutchman to a permanent transfer from FC Utrecht, while Lucas Bartlett (rib fracture) and Joshue Quinonez are expected to miss this encounter because of injuries.

A pair of goals from Indiana Vassilev gave Miami a 2-1 victory over The Loons, his first two strikes since joining them on loan from Aston Villa, as he moved into a tie for second on the team in that department, alongside Gonzalo Higuain and Robert Taylor.

Bryce Duke picked up his second assist of the season in their previous encounter, moving into a three-way for first on the team, alongside DeAndre Yedlin and Ariel Lassiter.

Robbie Robinson, who is currently sidelined with a hamstring injury, was the last player to score a regular-season goal for them away from home, while all seven tallies from their leading goalscorer, Leonardo Campana have come at home.

Dallas possible starting lineup:

Paes; Farfan, Tafari, Hedges, Nanu; Pomykal, Cerrillo, Schon; Arriola, Ferreira, Redzic

Inter Miami possible starting lineup:

Callender; Yedlin, Lowe, Sailor, Gibbs; Ulloa, Gregore; Vassilev, Duke, Lassiter; Campana

We say: Dallas 2-1 Inter Miami

Dallas can leave their share of gaps out wide when their fullbacks push deep up the field, which Miami might be able to use to their advantage.

The unfortunate part for The Herons is that they are low on confidence away from home, and even though the majority of Dallas' offence comes from two sources, those players have a nose for the goal, and they find the back of the net consistently.

Previews by email