Messi, InterMiami bounce back in style

If revenge is a dish best served cold, then Miami’s came lukewarm.

13 days after losing 3-0 to Seattle Sounders in the Leagues Cup Final, Inter Miami fell to a 3-0 defeat to red-hot Charlotte FC in league play, a match that saw Lionel Messi miss a penalty and his compatriot Tomas Aviles see red. With Aviles unavailable, and Luis Suarez serving the second of a three-match suspension following his post-match Leagues Cup Final antics, Miami manager Javier Mascherano found himself in a predicament as to which team to field against Seattle Sounders on Tuesday night. He ended up going with a defense of Ian Fray, Gonzalo Lujan, Maxi Falcon, and Noah Allen, whilst Rodrigo De Paul, Sergio Busquets, Yannick Bright and Jordi Alba made up the midfield; Tadeo Allende and Messi played up top, whilst Oscar Ustari started in goal.

Miami came out with a point to prove, needing just 40+ seconds to register a shot on goal, and they broke the deadlock in the 12th minute as Bright robbed Cristian Roldan of possession and allowing Messi to jink past Roldan, attract three blue shirts, before teeing up an unmarked Alba at the edge of the box, who made no mistake with the finish. Miami nearly doubled the lead at the half-hour mark as Busquets fashioned a world-class lofted pass over the top to Messi, who only had the goalkeeper to beat; he took his time, allowing two opponents to close him down, before firing an effort off the post.

The Argentine superstar would make amends before halftime, with Alba delivering a remarkable curving cross towards the far post, where Messi was there to tap in the second. De Paul would put the cherry on top in the 52nd minute, firing a trepidatious corner kick into the path of Fray, who obliged him with a bullet header. By the time Obed Vargas pulled one back for the visitors in the 69th minute, it was too little too late.

It was a much-needed victory for the Herons, who had taken just five points from their previous five league matches. Miami sits fifth in the Eastern Conference and eighth overall, but they nevertheless control their own destiny as they look to finish with the best regular season record in MLS for the second-straight year. Whilst they will not be imitating last season’s record-breaking points haul of 74, Miami find themselves well-positioned to come away with the Supporters’ Shield award, sitting eight points behind league leaders Philadelphia Union with three games in hand. However, in order to do so, they’ll need to do something they haven’t done since March: be consistent.

“When I analyze Miami’s matches, I think they’re so devoid of pace and so predictable, and they’ve got defenders who don’t defend well,” stated ex-Premier League striker Gordon ‘Flash’ Watson. “They need to get some youth up there, get some players who can actually run…Suarez can’t make those runs anymore or finish a game. The balance is all wrong, and I don’t know where the energy is coming from,” added Watson. “You see a lot of these younger teams with more legs on them, I think they’re catching up and overtaking Miami. I also wonder, having played in the Club World Cup and the Leagues Cup, it’s just constant soccer, especially for such an aging squad. When do you get a chance to rest?”

Miami will host a newly reinvigorated D.C. United side that has avoided defeat in each of their first four matches under new manager Rene Weiler – including a 1-1 draw vs. Miami in the nation’s capital – before traveling to a New York City FC side that, unlike D.C., is in the playoff race. They will then travel to Toronto before hosting Chicago Fire, New England Revolution and Atlanta United, followed by a regular season finale at Nashville. Whilst they will be keen to come away with a second-straight Supporters’ Shield, they’ll also be aware of the need to rest key players ahead of the postseason in order to avoid a repeat of last year’s first-round elimination to Atlanta.

Can Miami finally build up some steam under Mascherano? Stay tuned for Saturday’s pivotal match-up against D.C.