Inter Miami vs Kansas City: TV listings, team news, and preview

Topics: TV Listings, TV Schedules, Inter Miami, Sporting Kansas City, Major League Soccer

Inter Miami will hope to continue their steady climb up the table when the Herons host Kansas City on Saturday, September 9th.

Inter Miami will hope to continue their late push towards snatching a playoff berth when the Herons welcome Kansas City on Saturday. Tata Martino's men still have a long way to go, as they sit in the penultimate spot in the Eastern Conference and will need to make up an eight point gap between themselves and ninth-placed DC United if they want to have a chance to feature in this season's post-season playoff competition.

The hosts come into this game having secured a confidence boosting 3-1 win over Los Angeles FC. However, the task ahead of them to sneak into the playoffs seems almost like a Mission Impossible. There are only nine matches remaining in the season and Inter Miami will certainly need to win the bulk of those games in order to have a fighting chance at making it into the playoffs. However, the Lionel Messi effect is in full force, as the Argentinian superstar's arrival has sparked a massive revival for the struggling club.

Prior to Messi's arrival, Inter Miami had failed to win their last 11 games in MLS. Post the arrival of the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner, plus further key additions such as Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, the Herons not only are unbeaten in their last 11 matches across all comps, but also have won their first ever title after clinching the Leagues Cup last month.

Meanwhile, upcoming opponents Kansas City are also hoping to make a late push for a playoff spot, and the visitors have put themselves in good stead to achieve this following their impressive 2-1 victory over Western Conference leaders St. Louis last round. Peter Vermes's team are presently on a two winning streak and should they manage to beat Inter Miami, would have won three on the trot in MLS for the first time in nearly a year.

Team news: Inter Miami vs Kansas City

Inter Miami: The hosts will be missing quite a few players for this game. The biggest absentee arguably will be Lionel Messi, who is away on international duty with Argentina. Other missing players due to international duty include Benjamin Cremaschi (USMNT), Drake Callender (USMNT), Josef Martinez (Venezuela), David Ruiz (Honduras), and Diego Gomez (Paraguay). In addition, Corentin Jean, Franco Negri, Ian Fray, and Gregore are all still out injured, while DeAndre Yedlin is suspended.

Kansas City: Kortne Ford is out for the rest of the season following an injury earlier this year, while Graham Zusi, Stephen Afrifa, and Kayden Pierre are all doubt for this game. In addition, both Marinos Tzionis and Gadi Kinda will be unavailable due to international duty with Cyprus and Israel respectively.