Inter Miami and Orlando City meet in the Leagues Cup semi-finals in a heated MLS derby. Alex Freeman was rejected in trials for Miami before joining Orlando City's academy and uses that rejection as motivation to train harder and prove himself. Lionel Messi and Jordi Alba have fully trained after missing Miami's 1-1 draw at D.C. United through injuries. Miami defenders Noah Allen and Ian Fray grew up in South Florida and describe the rivalry as building and intensely competitive. Orlando beat Miami 4-1 at home in August and 3-0 away in May, and both clubs anticipate a fierce contest.
"I started off trying out as a winger, as a striker, so it was different," reflected the 21-year-old. "But I would lie if I said it didn't drive me forward. "It gave me time to look back and know that I need to do more, that maybe I wasn't good enough and needed to work even harder. It gave me the energy to train more and better myself. "It's a derby and we know we've got quality but we've also got to fight and want it more than them. We know how much is on the line."
"We're both younger teams in the MLS, so the rivalry's still building," said Allen, via the Miami Herald. "But since youth academies, the truth is I've hated Orlando - just playing against them, it's not anything personal. "I have a lot of respect for the players and club but the goal every time we play them is to beat them. Since our first year, there have been games where there's kicking each other and fouling each other."
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