It's always somewhat of a spectacle when Inter Miami come to town nowadays, even when some of their biggest names aren't on display.
Montréal will be at the heart of all the bells and whistles on Saturday, with the Herons coming for their 2026 visit in tremendous form, overlapping the World Cup break.
Games between these two sides have been extremely high-scoring over the past two seasons, with an average of 5.25 goals being scored across the four contests.
While there won't be any Lionel Messi or Rodrigo De Paul this weekend, that doesn't stop Miami from having a deep arsenal that can threaten a Montréal team trying to get something from a gauntlet of a matchweek.
How Montréal enter the match
It was a frustrating 1-0 loss to league-leading Nashville in the midweek, with a very soft penalty decision proving the difference in a game the Impact defended pretty resolutely in transition, and absorbed enough pressure to make life difficult for their opponents.
Now, they'll go from playing first spot to second spot in the Eastern Conference, about as hard a week as you can get in MLS this year.
This run of fixtures comes at an exceptionally poor time coming out of the break, with points at a premium right now. While Montréal currently sit four points out of the final wild card spot, they'll have to overtake four teams to get there.
The offence has been a bit dry coming out of the World Cup break, as well. There were a few half chances in the Canadian Classique, but nothing that really was a true sitter, and then other than a late Prince Owusu chance, there wasn't much to write home about in Nashville either.
Miami should provide a slightly more open contest, with a side that looks to attack first and foremost, but this will test Montréal's defensive shape more than the last two matches did. It would be one of the biggest results of the season if Philippe Eullaffroy's men can pull out three points at home this weekend.
How Inter Miami enter the match
It was no Messi, no De Paul, no problem for Miami in a key match against Chicago coming out of the World Cup break on Wednesday, as the Herons spoiled Robert Lewandowski's MLS debut with a 3-2 win at Nu Stadium.
They'll still be without their two Argentinian superstars this weekend, but that doesn't mean there aren't a large number of top players that will be on display.
Designated player Germán Berterame is starting to find his feet in MLS, while the 39-year-old Luis Suárez still has some magic in his boots with five goals in the two games straddling the World Cup break.
Things got off to a bit of a rocky start under current interim manager Guillermo Hoyos after Javier Mascherano's sudden departure, but they've solidified into wonderful form in recent matches, sporting an active five-game winning streak that has helped propel the team up to second in the Eastern Conference.
There's just so much quality up and down the roster, and even with a struggling defence, the way this team scores goals with ease is unlike anyone else in MLS.
Availability
For the hosts, Wiki Carmona and Bode Hidalgo remain out due to their respective lower-body injuries, while it would be a surprise for goaltender Thomas Gillier to have recovered from the concussion that kept him out of the Nashville game in time to start this weekend. Owen Graham-Roache also misses this one on international duty with Canada's U20S.
In Miami's case, alongside Messi and De Paul, it would also be a surprise for any of Tadeo Allende, David Ayala, Gonzalo Luján or Maxi Falcón to be fit in time for this weekend's fixture. Youngsters Santi Morales and Alexander Shaw are on international duty.
Projected XIs
TrueNorthFoot projects one change to the Montréal lineup, with Samuel Piette coming in for Fabian Herbers, while Miami gives Canadian Dayne St. Clair the net back after Rocco Ríos Novo got the start against Chicago.
CF Montréal (4-3-3): Sébastian Breza; Luca Petrasso, Brayan Vera, Jalen Neal, Dawid Bugaj; Victor Loturi, Samuel Piette, Matty Longstaff; Noah Streit, Prince Owusu, Hennaddiy Synchuk
Inter Miami CF (4-4-2): Danye St. Clair; Sergio Reguilón, Micael, Ian Fray, Facundo Mura; Mateo Silvetti, Telasco Segovia, Yannnick Bright, David Ruiz; Luis Suárez, Germán Berterame
Game information and how to watch
📆 Saturday, July 25, 2026
⏰ 7:30 pm ET / 4:30 pm PT
📺 Apple TV, TSN, RDS
🧑⚖️ Alexis Da Silva
🏟 Stade Saputo, Montréal, Canada
