Ahead of their South Florida rivalry renewing Friday night (8 pm ET | FS1, FOX Deportes), Orlando City SC and Inter Miami CF are heading in opposing directions.
Orlando are coming off their most comprehensive result of the season – a 5-0 demolition of the San Jose Earthquakes that was fueled by braces from Benji Michel and Daryl Dike, as well as a Team of the Week performance from Nani. Inter Miami, meanwhile, have lost four out of their last five, most recently a 1-0 road defeat to D.C. United that saw them finish the contest with nine men.
However, derby matchups have a way of rendering current form null and void. And with Inter Miami hosting their in-state rivals before a sizable crowd, head coach Phil Neville hopes the high-stakes matchup sparks a resurgence.
"I think it's the one game I looked at when I got the job, is when the Orlando game's gonna be," Neville said. "I think it's the first time we've probably had fans in the stadium for this game and I think the atmosphere's going to be incredible. I thought the atmosphere in all three games with fans so far has been really good.
"Our fans have been our 12th player this season," he added. "They’ve probably been our best player so far this season, as far as their encouragement. We’re going to need them Friday night. It's going to be an electric atmosphere, we’re going to make it as hostile as we can. We want to make sure we build up this rivalry. That’s what makes football so attractive. It’s on national TV, prime time. These are the games I hope my players want to play in and perform in. We owe our supporters a great performance at home."
For Miami, getting three points will require besting an Orlando City side that's second in the Eastern Conference standings and growing in their second year under Oscar Pareja. They have a 5W-1L-3D record and +10 goal differential, trailing just the New England Revolution for the East's top spot.
With Dike's re-introduction after his successful loan stint with English Championship side Barnsley, they could reach even further heights. The 20-year-old striker has a blossoming US men's national team career and faces widespread transfer speculation.
"I have noticed differences," Pareja said of Dike. "That happens with the evolution of the youngsters when they play professional matches, it seems like their confidence increases, it seems like they're more familiar with the stress of the game. You can see as well, and I refer to youngsters any of them, but in particular with Daryl, I can see those things especially. He feels more comfortable.
"I can see that he understands better what the competition is inside and his maturity is going to keep increasing the way he's participating with the national team, competing at different levels, because the way he grew in England is [prideful] for us and for him. So I can see his maturity raising, the comprehension of the game as well."
None of that is lost on Neville, who expects the match to be his team's toughest in-conference battle yet. As an expansion team last year, two of Miami's seven wins came against Orlando.
“We’re coming up against an outstanding team, one of the best in our conference with a manager of great experience,” Neville said. “I’ve watched a lot of Orlando. They’ve got really good players and play with high energy. So, we’re going to have to be at our best. This is probably going to be our biggest test. Philadelphia is an outstanding team, but I think Orlando will be the team to beat.”
