With Lionel Messi in tow but a host of other players missing, a banged-up Inter Miami limps to Atlanta United on Wednesday, Sept. 18, hoping to secure their place atop the Supporters’ Shield race in MLS regular season action.
Against an offensively challenged opponent, the Herons are without a number of defensive players because of injury and suspension, including Sergio Busquets and Tomas Aviles. Still, they hold a seven-point lead atop the overall MLS standings and are in pole position to take home the league’s regular-season title.
Hosts Atlanta United are in the thick of the playoff hunt, sitting one place out of the postseason positions but with a game in hand. Having sold offensive stars Thiago Almada and Giorgos Giakoumakis in recent months, the club has struggled to put together regularly potent attacking performances.
The Sporting News is following the Atlanta United vs. Inter Miami match live, providing score updates, commentary and highlights as they happen.
Atlanta United vs. Inter Miami live score
| Score | Goal scorers | |
| Atlanta United | – | – |
| Inter Miami | – | – |
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. PT
Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta)
Referee: Rosendo Mendoza
Starting lineups (predicted):
Atlanta United (4-2-3-1, right to left): Guzan (GK) — Lennon, Gregersen, D. Williams, Amador — Muyumba, Slisz — Lobzhanidze, Miranchuk, Silva — Rios.
Inter Miami (4-3-3, right to left): Callender (GK) — Weigandt, Kryvtsov, Sailor, Alba — Gressel, Cremaschi, Redondo — Messi, Suarez, D. Gomez.
MORE: Find out which games are streaming free on MLS Season pass from Apple TV each week
Atlanta United vs. Inter Miami live updates, highlights from MLS match
1 hour 15 mins to kick: Atlanta United currently have a head coaching vacancy, with Rob Valentino currently serving as interim boss following the departure of Gonzalo Pineda in early June. Felipe Cardenas of The Athletic speculated recently on social media that he believes former NYCFC and Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira is in line to take the job once the season is over, or potentially before.
1 hour 30 mins to kick: All eyes are on Lionel Messi wherever Inter Miami play, but this match is incredibly important for Atlanta United as well. They sit just two points below the playoff cut line but have a game in hand, meaning there are razor thin margins with just seven matches to go.
The hosts are in a bit of a rut at the moment, but they managed to beat Inter Miami last time they played back in late May, so they will hope to use that result as a springboard towards what would be a truly critical double if they can emerge victorious over the Supporters’ Shield leaders.
Running it back at home vs. MIA 🌴
AT&T Countdown to Kick » https://t.co/DH2fS2jdmx pic.twitter.com/jYowITo2ry
— Atlanta United FC (@ATLUTD) September 18, 2024
1 hour 45 mins to kick: Incredibly, Lionel Messi has a chance to equal or break Inter Miami’s all-time goal scoring record. His countrymate Gonzalo Higuain currently holds the record with 29 for the club, equal with Messi’s current teammate Leonardo Campana.
Messi stands at 27 goals across all competitions, needing a brace to tie the mark or a hat-trick to top it. Incredibly, Messi’s reached his tally in just 30 games for the club, while Higuain needed 70 to accumulate his haul and Campana did so in 93 matches.
2 hours to kickoff: While this could have been considered a prime chance to rest Lionel Messi for a road match just days after returning from a two-month injury absence, Inter Miami coach Tata Martino is continuing to lean on the Argentine in the thick of the Supporters’ Shield hunt. Messi is available for this match and will be likely to start.
🚨🐐⚽️UPDATED: Here’s the latest on Messi’s status heading into road games this week at Atlanta, NYCFC. Plus injury report on Allen, Martinez, Rojas.https://t.co/RFJ1NdNyxL@MiamiHerald @HeraldSports #Messi𓃵 #InterMiamiCF #WeAreTheA #MLS
— Michelle Kaufman (@kaufsports) September 17, 2024
Atlanta United vs. Inter Miami kickoff time
This MLS regular season match kicks off from Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Wednesday, Sep. 18 at 7:30 p.m. local time in Atlanta. Here’s how that translates across the major time zones in North America:
| Date | Kickoff time | |
| Eastern Time | Wed, Sep. 18 | 7:30 p.m. ET |
| Central Time | Wed, Sep. 18 | 6:30 p.m. CT |
| Mountain Time | Wed, Sep. 18 | 5:30 p.m. MT |
| Pacific Time | Wed, Sep. 18 | 4:30 p.m. PT |
Atlanta United vs. Inter Miami lineups, team news, starting 11
Without the offloaded Thiago Almada and Giorgis Giakoumakis, this Atlanta United forward unit has looked utterly stale. Injuries are not to blame, as the only fitness concerns for the side today are to third-choice goalkeeper Quentin Westberg and right-back Ronald Hernandez
Midfielder Tristan Muyumba has returned from his hip issue and could slot back into the starting lineup.
New signing Aleksey Miranchuk has only just begun to see the field after arriving from Atalanta at the end of the transfer window, and has no goal contributions to this point.
Atlanta United projected starting lineup (4-2-3-1): Guzan (GK) — Lennon, Gregersen, D. Williams, Amador — Muyumba, Slisz — Lobzhanidze, Miranchuk, Silva — Rios.
Atlanta United subs (9): (Lineups released one hour prior to kickoff)
While it’s expected that Lionel Messi will be fully fit for this match, there are plenty of other headaches for Tata Martino to sort through, most notably along the back line.
Inter Miami are missing a host of central defenders for this match. Both Tomas Aviles and Sergio Busquets (who has been playing along the back a lot this season) picked up yellow-card suspensions and will miss out. Noah Allen is “fine” according to Martino, but after taking a blow to the head late in Saturday’s game, he is in concussion protocol and will not be available. Nicolas Freire is out for the season with an ACL tear, and new signing David Martinez picked up a groin injury Saturday.
Options along the back include natural full-back Ian Fray, backup Ryan Sailor who played (and scored) for the reserves on the weekend, and Sergiy Kryvtsov who has seen his playing time drop this season, which Martino chalked up to the mental challenges of the war back in his native Ukraine.
Inter Miami projected starting lineup (4-3-3): Callender (GK) — Weigandt, Kryvtsov, Sailor, Alba — Gressel, Cremaschi, Redondo — Messi, Suarez, D. Gomez.
Inter Miami subs (9): (Lineups released one hour prior to kickoff)
Atlanta United vs. Inter Miami live stream, TV channel
The MLS match between Atlanta United and Inter Miami will be available exclusively to MLS Season Pass subscribers on Apple TV.
With the home stretch in view, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV is being offered at its lowest price of the season. Fans can sign up for a seasonal subscription to MLS Season Pass for just $ 9.99 to catch the remainder of the 2024 season, including the MLS Cup playoffs. Existing Apple TV+ subscribers can sign up for a seasonal subscription to MLS Season Pass for free for the remainder of the 2024 season and playoffs.
