Who is Cavalier FC, Messi and Inter Miami's next Concacaf opponent? | OneFootball

Jamaica's Cavalier FC will travel to Inter Miami on Thursday night having already made history and attempting to create more against Lionel Messi and his star-studded squad.

Cavalier are participating in the round of 16 in the Concacaf Champions Cup (CCC) for the first time in the club’s history. Touted as the underdog, Cavalier will try to make life difficult for the 2024 Supporters' Shield winners. But the Jamaicans have some winning experience of their own recently, having tiptoed into this round by virtue of winning the 2024 Caribbean Cup.

But this year in the Jamaica Premier League has been tougher. Cavalier are trailing leaders Mount Pleasant by 18 points and are currently fourth in the table despite losing only once in their last seven matches. And they also could be rusty, having not kicked a ball in more than a week because of a referee work stoppage due to unpaid wages.

This will be Cavalier's secod encounter against an MLS opponent, and second in as many seasons. They were routed 6-0 on aggregate FC Cincinnati last year in the first round of this tournament after losing the first leg at home 2-0 and the second leg 4-0 on the road.

Close to full strength

Inter Miami CF Training Session | Chris Arjoon/GettyImages

Manager Rudolph Spied has expressed great satisfaction at having all his key players available for this encounter. He has enjoyed a great spell in charge of the Kingston-based squad last season, helping them win the league for the first time since 2021, claiming victory in their final three matches of that competition.

Shaquille Stein, who was the top goal scorer of the Caribbean Champions Cup with eight goals has so far netted 15 this season across all competitions, and Jalmaro Calvin, with 14 goals, has been in good recent form. Midfielder dynamo Dwayne Atkinson has also been influential, contributing 10 goals and six assists across all competitions.

Miami's continental woes

Inter Miami manager Javier Mascherano, the former FC Barcelona standout, is hoping to achieve what no other coach has done in the club's history: claim their first-ever Concacaf victory against a non-MLS opponent. Miami lost their quarter-final fixtures versus CF Monterrey of Mexico at this tournament a year ago.

In their last outing in MLS, Miami was without Marcelo Weigandt and Fafa Picault, who missed the match due to hamstring strains. Meanwhile, Ian Fray received a red card in that game but remains eligible to play on Thursday.

The 37-year-old Messi was rested on Sunday after a man-of-the-match performance in 10-man Miami's 2-2 draw against New York City FC to open the season. He is expected to return for the Thursday, having scored in both CCC legs against Sporting Kansas City in Miami's first-round win.

Miami will aim to establish a decisive advantage at home before the return leg in Jamaica on March 13. Cavalier, despite being considered underdogs, will look to leverage their recent form and the scoring prowess of their key players to challenge the hosts.