Inter Miami returns to its new home this weekend looking for its first win on the Nu Stadium pitch when it hosts Red Bull New York in South Florida. The reigning MLS Cup champion opened the stadium last week with a 2-2 draw against Austin FC, and now faces a tighter test against a team that sits one point behind in the Eastern Conference race.
Inter Miami has three wins in its first six MLS matches this season and is fourth in the Eastern Conference, but the numbers have not told the whole story. The club was knocked out early from the Concacaf Champions Cup, leaving league play as the main measure of its start, and it still has not found the kind of scoring rhythm it wants outside Lionel Messi's exploits. Red Bull New York comes in on 10 points after a 4-2 win over FC Cincinnati, giving this match a sharper edge than a simple home opener would suggest.
Javier Mascherano may make a more significant change to his lineup against Red Bull New York, with Luis Suárez a candidate to start at the top of a 4-2-3-1 formation. Suárez has one goal in 116 minutes this season, and Inter Miami has been searching for a cleaner final third than the one it showed in the first weeks of the campaign. Sports Illustrated predicted a 3-1 Inter Miami victory, but that call leans on the assumption that the new stadium finally gives the attack a lift.
The pressure is not only on Inter Miami. Red Bull New York is still adjusting to its reliance on young stars, while Germán Berterame has failed to score in nine matches across all competitions, and Tadeo Allende and Mateo Silvetti have both struggled positionally when used as strikers. That leaves Saturday's match as more than a homecoming for Inter Miami. It is the first real chance to see whether the permanent venue changes the mood, or whether the team still needs more than a new address to look like a contender.
