Miami Herald

Some season-ticket holders will be allowed at Saturday’s home game

- BY MICHELLE KAUFMAN mkaufman@miamiheral­d.com Michelle Kaufman: 305-376-3438, @kaufsports

Some Inter Miami season-ticket holders will finally get a chance to see the team play live. The club announced Wednesday morning that it will welcome a limited number of fans to Saturday’s home game against Orlando City.

Becaue of COVID-19 restrictio­ns, Inter Miami CF Stadium in Fort Lauderdale has been closed to the public throughout the team’s inaugural season. Only family, staff, and

360 members of the team’s official supporter groups have been allowed to attend recent games.

Tickets for the 3:30 p.m. match became available for purchase exclusivel­y to full season-ticket members on a first-come, firstserve basis at 7 p.m. Wednesday night via the ticket holder’s log-in.

COVID-19 protocols will be strictly enforced. Face masks are mandatory in the stadium. Fans will have their temperatur­e checked at entry point, and tickets will be

scanned. A socially distant seating plan has been set up to keep fans apart within parties of four or fewer. All concession­s will be prepackage­d.

All fans must have a prepaid parking pass to enter the stadium lot, which opens at 2 p.m. Stadium gates open at 2:30 p.m.

It is a critical game for Inter Miami, which is trying to make a lateseason push for a playoff spot and facing an Orlando City team that is riding a 12-game unbeaten streak

and just clinched a playoff spot for the first time in their club history.

Orlando is in fourth place in the Eastern Conference with an 8-2-8 record.

With four games remaining in the regular season, Inter Miami is in 12th place in the Eastern Conference with a 5-11-3 record and 18 points. Atlanta United is in 11th place with 19 points, and Chicago Fire in 10th place with 20 points. The top 10 advance to the playoffs.

It will be the fourth meeting between Inter Miami and Orlando City. Orlando City won twice, both by 2-1 scores, and Miami won 3-2 on Aug. 22.

Inter Miami will be without Argentine forward Gonzalo Higuain, who is suspended after receiving a red card for arguing with a referee following Saturday’s 2-1 road loss to the Montreal Impact.

Inter Miami’s dynamic playmaker Rodolfo Pizarro is expected back in the lineup after missing four games while on duty with the Mexican national team. Defender Andres Reyes is also slated to return from an injury to his face.

For those unable to attend the game, it will be nationally televised in Spanish in UniMas and streamed on TUDN’s Twitter and the Univision 23 app.

Fans can also listen on Spanish radio (WQBA

1140 AM). There is also live commentary on the team app.

 ?? DAVID SANTIAGO dsantiago@miamiheral­d.com ?? Inter Miami fans show their support during the second half of an MLS match against Atlanta United FC at Inter Miami Stadium on Oct. 14, 2020, in Fort Lauderdale. It was the first home game with any fans in the stands.
DAVID SANTIAGO dsantiago@miamiheral­d.com Inter Miami fans show their support during the second half of an MLS match against Atlanta United FC at Inter Miami Stadium on Oct. 14, 2020, in Fort Lauderdale. It was the first home game with any fans in the stands.

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