Inter Miami CF II to Face League Leaders Columbus Crew 2 in Final Regular Season Home Match

September 9, 2022 – MLS NEXT Pro (MLS NEXT Pro) – Inter Miami CF II News Release

Inter Miami CF II (9W-4D-8L, 32 points) will host league leaders Columbus Crew 2 (15W-4D-3L, 50 points) at DRV PNK Stadium this Sunday, Sept. 11 at 7 p.m. ET in the team’s final home match of the regular season. The match will be streamed live on MLSNEXTPro.com. Tickets are available HERE.

“We fully expect a hard-fought game. Columbus is really well coached, they’re a good team and have been very consistent this year,” said head coach Darren Powell. “Our job against Columbus this weekend is to make sure we can get in the rhythm of the game early and be as competitive as possible, and keep our opportunity in context of the league standings and playoffs at pace with the competition around us.”

Inter Miami II remains in fifth, just below the playoff line with three matches remaining, two points back of Philadelphia Union II with one less match played. The team will enter Sunday’s fixture following a 1-4 loss to Toronto FC II. In the match, however, second-half substitute Benjamin Cremaschi notched his fourth goal of the campaign in just 594 minutes of play. His tally is tied for the second-most goals on the team this season.

This match will mark the third meeting between the sides in this inaugural MLS NEXT Pro campaign, with a win apiece for Inter Miami II and Columbus, each claimed at home. The teams first opened their respective seasons against each other at DRV PNK Stadium in March, resulting in a 2-0 win for Inter Miami, before meeting again in Columbus in a 5-0 win for the hosts in June.

Columbus will enter Sunday’s match on a five-game unbeaten streak, including its most recent 3-1 home win over Chicago Fire II. The team currently sits atop the overall MLS NEXT Pro standings with 50 points, and has clinched the top seed in the Eastern Conference. Columbus has been led by forward Jacen Russell-Rowe in 2022, who has a league-leading 17 goals to his name.

• Discuss this story on the MLS NEXT Pro message board…

The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.