Miami FC v Naples United: Previewing The Match

Saturday’s match up is one of the rarer fixtures that come in the National Premier Soccer League. The league has 91 teams and the sunshine conference is home of the second and fifth team in the league’s power rankings (points per game). Naples United has been perfect so far on the year amassing wins in their five matches. For Miami FC, despite some disappointment their recent form has been outstanding.

There couldn’t be more contrasting styles of play between clubs at the top of the league power rankings. The Miami FC has a prolific attack that is difficult to contain. Naples have managed to keep pace with Miami’s defense and have only allowed three goals all season. Just look at the table above and their differences are self-explanatory. This match will by whether Naples’ defense can contain the attacking firepower from the Orange and Blue.

Keys To A Miami Victory

The blueprint on how to beat this club has been published. Miami United showed that the defense is the weakest link within the club. Attacking Miami FC with diagonal balls over the top to get in behind their wing-backs is the answer. That said, Central Florida did not have the talent to finalize on that approach. Miami will have to shore up their defensive play to minimize the chances that goalkeeper Mark Pais will have to face.

On the other end, it’s just about keeping this well-oiled machine running. Miguel Gonzalez has been on a tear with eleven goals in his past five matches. Mohamed Thiaw has been excellent in the number 9 role that was vacated by Jaime Chavez, with eight goals in his account. The two will likely be on the receiving end of multiple chances from playmakers Dylan Mares, Ariel Martinez, and Dario Suarez. Set pieces will be crucial in a match where the opposition keeps numbers back and the Orange and Blue’s would benefit greatly from the services of Tomas Granitto like this one below.

Prediction

While Naples defense has proven to be nothing short of stalwart, they haven’t been tested by a team like this. While these two teams have played all of their common opponents, one squeaks by while the other dominates. I would be surprised if this game is similar to the routes we’ve seen as of late. The best chance Naples has to walk away from a result is to keep Miami off the scoreboard for the first half and get under their skin with physical play. If Miami get a goal early, the floodgates will finally give way for Naples.

Naples United 0 – 3 The Miami FC

There is no broadcast for tomorrow’s match. For live updates click here for Miami FC’s twitter account!