Cristian 'Kily' Gonzalez insists Inter Miami no longer has any margin for error in their final two matches of the regular season ahead of facing the New England Revolution.
Miami have no margin for error in New England clash, says Gonzalez
Just one place and two points separate Inter Miami and the New England Revolution, with Cristian Gonzalez wanting his team to step up.
Gonzalez's comments came after Miami were forced to settle for a point in their 2-2 draw with FC Cincinnati last time out, with Riquelme Fillipi netting a 90th-minute equaliser.
Luis Suarez had opened the scoring at Nu Stadium, but two goals in six minutes from Kenji Mboma Dem and Samuel Gidi put Cincinnati on course for a huge away victory.
But Fillipi ensured a share of the spoils with his first goal for the club, with just two points separating Miami and New England before they lock horns at the Gillette Stadium.
New England know that if they emerge victorious, they will seal second place in the Eastern Conference, and Gonzalez said he wants to see his team take risks this weekend.
"We don't have a margin for error," Gonzalez said. "There were transitions that hurt us. Had we been better, we would have won.
"We need to realise that we are a club that has to step forward, take risks, show personality and play football without fear of making mistakes."
Miami will also have Lionel Messi available for selection despite picking up his fifth yellow card of the season against Cincinnati. Under MLS rules, a player automatically reduces his yellow card total by one each time he appears in five consecutive matches without receiving a yellow card, a red card or supplemental discipline.
Messi went more than five games without a booking on two occasions, so two of his five cards no longer count toward the accumulation that would force him to miss a match.
But even with Messi lining up against them, New England will still fancy their chances having put together a run of four consecutive wins at a crucial time in the campaign.
New England were put through their paces by the New York Red Bulls last time out, though, needing an 83rd-minute winner from Daniel Gazdag to seal a 3-2 victory.
The Revolution have never won the MLS Cup during a record five appearances in the playoffs, though Marko Mitrovic believes the club is heading in the right direction.
"Written on our walls here, we have a big message, [in] which we say we are never satisfied," Mitrovic said.
"We can have moments of happiness when things are right, or moments of sadness when things are wrong.
"Not connecting with just the outcome, winning or losing, there are other actions on a daily basis that we do.
"Sometimes we might not be the happiest or happy with something. But being satisfied puts you in 'sleepy mode,' so we don't want to create a satisfied mindset."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
New England Revolution – Dor Turgeman
Turgeman scored twice in New England's win over NYRB on Wednesday, his second career multi-goal game in MLS.
The other came earlier this month against FC Cincinnati, with Turgeman joining Messi as the only MLS players with multiple multi-goal games in October.
Inter Miami – Riquelme Fillipi
Fillipi scored his first career MLS goal with a 90th-minute equaliser in Miami's draw against Cincinnati.
He is the 67th player to score in a regular-season match for Miami and became the 35th South American player to net for the Herons.
MATCH PREDICTION: DRAW
New England snapped a four-match losing streak against Miami on April 25 with a 1-1 draw on the road.
That match marked the first draw between the Revolution and the Herons, with the first 10 meetings all producing a winner (Miami seven wins, New England three wins).
The Revolution have also won four straight matches with each victory coming by exactly one goal. It is the second time in team history that they have won four straight regular-season matches, all by one goal, matching a four-game streak in June 2024.
Miami, meanwhile, are playing on the road for the first time since a 2-0 defeat to the New York Red Bulls last Saturday.
They are looking to avoid being shut out in consecutive regular-season away matches for the first time since a four-game drought to start the 2023 season, prior to Messi's debut that summer.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
New England Revolution – 38.2%
Draw – 26.5%
Inter Miami – 35.3%
