Inter Miami CF took to the field at Chase Stadium this Saturday, July 20, wearing the blue-green “Back to the 80s” third kit, looking for a win against the Chicago Fire, once again without their captain Leo Messi.
Before the match began, the pink-black club paid a small tribute to Messi as the player with the most titles in history with 45, after winning the Copa America.
Team co-owner Jorge Mas praised the captain’s career and, with Leo in the middle of the field, a video was shown on the scoreboard with all 45 of his titles, including the 44th won with Miami.
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Then came a very disputed match where Inter Miami was superior and managed to win 2-1 against a fighting Chicago team, which did not seem to be in the last positions and put up a tough battle.
But this Miami team has found a way to win games and this one hasn’t escaped them.
With its sixth win in the last 7 games without Messi, Inter Miami (16-5-4) reached 53 points and remained the leader of the Eastern Conference.
“My concern with Leo and the rest of the All-Stars was Chicago, and then we’ll see about the other games,” said Miami coach Gerardo Martino.
“Drake [Callender] has us accustomed to two or three save plays in each game, but I want to highlight the work of [Jannick] Bright, for me the best of the game.”
Miami’s goals were scored by Matias Rojas (6′) and Jordi Alba (75′). Rafael Czichos (73′) scored for the Fire.
Against Fire, Sergio Busquets returned to the lineup as a center-back, as Marcelo Weigandt and Luis Suárez, with the only notable absence being Leo Messi, as Benjamín Cremaschi and Diego Gómez are with their Olympic teams in Paris.
Martino came out with Drake Callender, Weigandt, Tomas Aviles, Busquets, Alba, Fede Redondo, Bright, Rojas Julian Gressel, Suarez, and Robert Taylor.
Weigandt returned with a vengeance and was a real lock on the right flank, being one of the best along with Bright.
The first half ended 1-0 in favor of Inter Miami, which, in all fairness, deserved a bigger result due to the good football it played, being the owner of the match in its first 45 minutes in which it dominated (53.6%), shot more (8-3) and much better (5-1 shots on target).
Very early on, in the 6th minute, the Miami team scored 1-0 when Rojas, almost from the center of the area, shot with his left foot a pass from Taylor who, on the left, won the goal line with great class and sent a splendid service to the Paraguayan, in a play that Aviles started with a pass from his home to Taylor.
At 8′, Miami was saved after a defensive mistake, with luck on its side due to poor execution by Chicago, after a rebound by Callender.
Inter Miami played better in the first 30 minutes in all aspects of the game, creating the most dangerous chances.
And nothing changed in the next 15, even though Miami tried in every way and had more than enough merits to extend the lead, highlighting the great work of Bright in the recovery.
Miami continued its incisive play at the start of the second half, with Suarez having a 2-0 lead in the fourth minute, with goalkeeper Chris Brady making a good save from his shot.
Little by little the Fire pushed Inter Miami back and in the 68th minute, Martino gave his team some oxygen, bringing on Leo Afonso and David Ruiz for Gressel and Taylor, but even with that Miami could not shake off the pressure from the Fire who tied the game shortly after.
In the 73rd minute, Rafael Czichos received a ball from Gastón Gimenez and advanced down the left, leaving Ruiz in his wake to unleash a left-footed shot near the area towards the net, despite Callender’s efforts to make it 1-1 on the scoreboard.
But Chicago’s joy was short-lived. Two minutes later, in the 75th minute, Rojas placed a good ball into the area and the first rebound was again scored by Afonso, who then took advantage of the second rebound by Alba, who sent it into the back of the net with his left foot, giving Inter a 2-1 lead again.
After the goal, Miami regained its best game, despite Tata putting in a line of 5 in defense with the entry of Ian Fray and Noah Allen for Redondo and Rojas.
In the end, the Miami Wall maintained the result, achieving a great victory that allowed it to remain at the top.
