Jordi Alba among Inter Miami defensive injuries entering Columbus Crew tilt | OneFootball

Jordi Alba will be among several defensive-minded Inter Miami players missing on Saturday night when the Herons host the Columbus Crew with one eye toward climbing back up the Eastern Conference standings and the other on preparing for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.

Alba, one of three of Lionel Messi's former FC Barcelona teammates to join him on Miami's roster, is listed as out with a hamstring issue accord to the MLS Player Status Report for Matchday 17. The clash will mark only the second MLS game the fullback has missed this season, and comes after several weeks of struggles for Miami's rearguard.

Fellow defender Gonzalo Lujan (hamstring) and defensive midfielder Yannick Bright (hamstring) are also new additions to the Herons' list of ailments. The trio of Alba, Lujan and Bright has combined for 41 MLS appearances and 35 starts.

Bad timing for a bad defense

The Match is Miami's final competitive fixture before they open Group A play in the Club World Cup, playing Al Ahly on June 14, Porto on June 19 and Palmeiras on June 23.

Since late April, Miami (7-3-5, 26 points) has conceded multiple goals in eight of its last nine matches in all competitions, and 25 goals in total. The result has been a stretch with only two victories and a vicious slide -- at least by Messi and company's standards -- down to sixth place in the Eastern Conference table.

That's two places behind Columbus (7-2-7, 28 points), which will travel to South Florida perhaps with a bit of revenge on heir mind. The Crew lost their previous "home" match against Miami 1-0 in a match held at Cleveland's NFL stadium back on April 19.