Inter Miami heads into its final MLS match for a month with the club back atop the Eastern Conference standings.
Inter Miami hosts Xherdan Shaqiri and the Chicago Fire on Saturday, July 20 at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The Herons are coming off a dominant 3-1 win over Toronto FC in mid-week action, and coupled with FC Cincinnati's loss to the Fire on Wednesday, it propelled Inter Miami back to the top of the standings.
Lionel Messi missed the match on Wednesday and is doubtful to play this weekend due to his ankle injury suffered on international duty, but Inter Miami's youngsters continue to make a huge impact for the team. Midfielder Federico Redondo scored a pair of goals in Inter Miami's win over Toronto and 21-year-old Diego Gomez scored the opener.
The Fire meanwhile picked up a surprising win over then-first place FC Cincinnati, as 21-year-old homegrown talent Brian Gutierrez scored the game-winning goal.
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This is the last game for both teams until mid-August as MLS takes a break for Leagues Cup, which begins on Friday, July 26.
The Sporting News looks at the key details ahead of this game, including how to watch, kickoff times and the latest lineup news.
MORE: What MLS games are free on Apple TV this week?
Where to watch Inter Miami vs. Chicago Fire
- Date: Saturday, July 20, 2024
- Time: 7:30 p.m. ET / 6:30 p.m. CT
- TV channel: None
- Streaming: MLS Season Pass from Apple TV
Fans can watch Inter Miami vs. Chicago Fire and every league match this season via MLS Season Pass from Apple TV.
To watch the rest of the games this year, fans can sign up for a seasonal subscription to MLS Season Pass for $69 for the remainder of the 2024 season (30% off original price of $99).
If Inter Miami vs. Chicago Fire is not available to watch live in your location or if you're traveling abroad, you can use a Virtual Private Network (VPN). VPNs offer a secure and private online connection, allowing you to bypass geographical restrictions to access your favorite streaming services from any device anywhere in the world.
WATCH FROM ANYWHERE: Sign up for NordVPN (30-day moneyback guarantee)
What time does Inter Miami vs. Chicago Fire kick off?
This MLS matchup takes place on Saturday, July 20 at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The match is scheduled to kick off at 7:30 p.m. local time.
Here's how that time translates across all of the time zones in the United States:
| Date | Kickoff time | |
| Eastern Time | Sat, Jul. 20 | 7:30 p.m. |
| Central Time | Sat, Jul. 20 | 6:30 p.m. |
| Mountain Time | Sat, Jul. 20 | 5:30 p.m. |
| Pacific Time | Sat, Jul. 20 | 4:30 p.m. |
| Alaska ST | Sat, Jul. 20 | 3:30 p.m. |
| Hawaii ST | Sat, Jul. 20 | 1:30 p.m. |
Inter Miami vs. Chicago Fire lineups, team news
While Messi continues to recover from his ankle ligament injury, Inter Miami welcomed back Luis Suarez, who played 29 minutes plus stoppage time off the bench in Inter Miami's 3-1 win, and came close twice to scoring. Fringe players such as Ian Fray and Yannick Bright continue to make positive contributions, and Federico Redondo showed this week why he is expected to play in Europe one day. Noah Allen performed well off the bench after the injury to Serhiy Kryvtsov.
Inter Miami will now lose Diego Gomez to the Olympics, as he is suiting up for Paraguay. Benji Cremaschi has already departed to play for the U.S. squad.
Inter Miami projected starting lineup (4-3-3): Callender (GK) — Frey, Aviles, Allen, Alba — Ruiz, Redondo, Rojas — Taylor, Campana, Gressel.
Xherdan Shaqiri announced his international retirement from Switzerland this week, but this match may be too soon for the talented attacker after Euro 2024.
Chicago Fire projected starting lineup (3-5-2): Brady (GK) — Souquet, Omsberg, Czichos — Arigoni, Acosta, Gimenez, Gutierrez, Dean — Cuypers, Maren Haile-Selassie.
Inter Miami vs. Chicago Fire prediction
It's starting to look like Inter Miami's brutal defeat at FC Cincinnati was just a fluke, as Martino has the Herons winning with or without Messi on the field. The Fire picked up a big win at home on Wednesday but it's not clear yet whether that's replicable on the road. They'll have chances, with Inter Miami's backline taking another injury hit, but Inter Miami should have more than enough offense to get the win in this one.
Prediction: Inter Miami 3-1 Chicago Fire