Match: Charlotte FC vs Inter Miami CF | Leagues Cup Quarterfinals
When: Friday, August 11
Where: DRV PNK Stadium
Kickoff: 8:30pm ET
Watch: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV
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Listen: WFNZ 92.7 FM (English) & WOLS 106.1 FM (Spanish)
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Previous Matches – Round of 16:
Charlotte FC 2 – 1 Houston Dynamo FC
Inter Miami CF 4 – 4 FC Dallas (Miami wins 5-3 in penalty kick shootout)
Charlotte FC continues to the Quarterfinals of the inaugural Leagues Cup against Inter Miami CF on Friday, August 11th. As the Crown looks to claim a place in the semifinals, and thus a guaranteed chance at qualifying for the Concacaf Champions Cup via the final or third-place match, here is everything you need to know ahead of the match.
The Results
After advancing as group winners from the South 4 Group, Charlotte FC went to Texas for the knockout rounds. The Club took down Cruz Azul in penalties in the Round of 32 and Houston Dynamo FC in a dramatic comeback in the Round of 16.
The substitutes were the stars in the Round of 16, as Patrick Agyemang scored the equalizer and Brecht Dejaegere debuted as CLTFC’s newest addition and number 10.
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Inter Miami, meanwhile, advanced as group winners following two wins over Cruz Azul and Atlanta United. That set up a showdown with Florida rival Orlando City SC in the Round of 32, which Miami won 3-1. They then hit the road for the first time in the competition to play FC Dallas in the Round of 16.
Despite being down by two goals on two separate occasions, Miami stormed back to 4-4 at full time behind a dramatic late free kick from star forward Lionel Messi. Messi, Sergio Busquets, Leo Campana, Kamal Miller, and Benjamin Cremaschi all made their penalties to win the penalty kick shootout and book a home Quarterfinal game.
The Knockout Rounds Ahead
Tomorrow's match will take place in Fort Lauderdale at DRV PNK Stadium. Hosting priority for games featuring two MLS teams is determined by 2022 Supporters’ Shield standings. Since Miami finished above Charlotte in 2022, they were awarded the hosting priority for the match.
The winner of the Quarterfinal will advance to the semifinal, and thus will guarantee themselves two chances at securing a Concacaf Champions Cup spot. The top three teams in Leagues will book a place in the regional tournament, which means that both teams in the Final automatically clinch alongside the winner of the Third-Place Match
Since either Charlotte FC or Inter Miami are guaranteed to advance to the Final or Third-Place Match on August 19th, the MLS regular season match between the two clubs originally scheduled for August 20th has been postponed.
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Should Charlotte FC advance Friday night, the location of the Tuesday, August 15th Semifinal would be determined by the outcome of the Queretaro FC versus Philadelphia Union Quarterfinal. Should Queretaro win, CLTFC will have a home match. Should Philadelphia win, then The Crown will hit the road again to keep the Leagues Cup dream alive.
Before reaching that stage, though, Charlotte FC need to focus on the game and team right in front of them. Inter Miami have Lionel Messi, widely considered to be one of the greatest players of all time, which makes the task of defeating the Herons on the road a daunting one for any team in the world.
However, Charlotte FC plays against Miami, not just Messi. Messi’s former FC Barcelona teammates, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, will also be key players, alongside their host of in-form young players. Analyst Caleb Adams broke down the keys to the match if CLTFC hope to play spoiler in Florida.
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The Competition
Leagues Cup is a first-of-its-kind competition featuring all 47 first division clubs from MLS and Liga MX in a World Cup-style club tournament taking place from July 21 to August 19.
Both leagues have paused their respective regular seasons to participate in the tournament. The champion, as well as the second and third place finishers, will qualify for the Concacaf Champions Cup and thus have an opportunity to earn a spot in the FIFA Club World Cup. All matches are scheduled to be played in the United States and Canada.
In the Group Stage, teams were placed in groups of three for a round robin. Each team plays two total Group Stage games, and the top two from each group advance to the single-elimination Knockout Round. LAFC and Pachuca, as the most recent champions of their respective leagues, earned a bye and entered the tournament in the Round of 32.
Charlotte FC won their group that included FC Dallas of MLS and Necaxa of Liga MX before taking down Cruz Azul in the Round of 32 and Houston Dynamo FC in the Round of 16.
WATCH PARTY
Leagues Cup Quarterfinals vs. Inter Miami
August 11th @ 8:00PM | Kickoff at 8:30PM @ Slate Charlotte
