The Round of 16 of the 2023 Leagues Cup gets underway at Toyota Stadium when FC Dallas host Inter Miami CF.
Dallas defeated Mazatlan FC 2-1 in the Round of 32 as Alan Velasco's penalty gave the Hoops a 48th-minute lead only to see Andres Montano level nine minutes later.
Eugene Ansah booked Dallas' ticket to this round as he fired home with quarter of an hour to go.
Miami were 3-1 winners over bitter rivals Orlando City SC as Lionel Messi continued his dream start with the Herons, scoring twice to take his total to five goals in three matches with the South Beach side.
Josef Martinez also found the back of the net with the eventual match-winner from the penalty spot.
The winner of this match will advance to the quarterfinals where they will face either the Houston Dynamo or Charlotte FC, who play tomorrow night.
Team news
Tarik Scott is out for the season following an ACL/MCL injury and Jesus Jimenez has an ankle issue that will keep him sidelined.
Colin Smith and Isaiah Parker are out on loan with Birmingham Legion and San Antonio FC, respectively.
The Herons have no players suspended and no injury concerns, giving manager Tata Martino a full squad to choose from.
Predicted lineups
FC Dallas: Paes; Junqua, Martinez, Tafari, Jesus; Velasco, Quignón, Lletget; Obrian, Ferreira, Kamungo
Inter Miami CF: Callender; Allen, Miller, Kryvtsov, Yedlin; Cremaschi, Busquets, Arroyo; Taylor, Martínez, Messi
Ones to watch
Jesus Ferreira (FC Dallas)
With Alan Velasco playing up front alongside Ferreira, he now has support in the attack and with his improved play, will give Dallas' leading scorer on the season more opportunities to add to his tally.
Lionel Messi (Inter Miami CF)
You run out of superlatives to describe his play since joining Miami. Five goals, two assists, the improved play of everyone around him and the buzz surrounding the league is evidence of the impact Messi has made in his brief time in MLS.
Previous meetings
The two sides met in April with Jesus Ferreira scoring the only goal of the match in the 27th minute.
He started the move with a backheel to Jesus Jimenez and he avoided the defense before drawing Miami goalkeeper Drake Callender off his line before passing back to Ferreira, who had the easiest of tap-ins.
With his 40th goal, Ferreira became the youngest player in MLS history to reach that milestone at 22 years old.
How to watch
The match will be televised in the United States and Mexico on Apple TV + with Jake Zivin as the play-by-paly announcer and Taylor Twellman serving as analyst.
Kickoff is set for 9:30pm Eastern time.