Messi played his 100th game with the club and filled it with football during the first half: one goal, two assists in the total of the night and a performance that seemed enough to carry the Herons forward. Ian Fray and the Venezuelan Telasco Segovia also scored for an Inter Miami that arrived undefeated in their last 11 games in all competitions, with a 5-0-6, and in their last nine MLS games, with a 5-0-4. Not even that was enough. The team fell to 0-1-3 in their new stadiumwhere they had started with three draws, 2-2 against Austin and New York Red Bulls and 1-1 against New England Revolution, and are still among the three teams in the league that They still haven’t won at home this season.
Orlando City arrived in Miami with little noise and many numbers against. He was 3-7-1, with only two wins in his last 15 MLS games, including the playoffs since last season, and 0-4-1 on the road this season. None of that mattered when Ojeda cut back in the 39th minute and sent the game to half-time at 3-1. In the second half, the Argentine put on his overalls and dismantled an Inter Miami that suffered a physical and mental decline. He scored 3-2 in the 68th minute, tied with a penalty in the 78th minute. and he still had another chance in the 80th minute that Dayne St. Clair saved with his face, yes, with his face, after having denied him another clear opportunity in the 73rd minute with a point-blank save.
The night seemed very long for Inter Miami. Spicer made it 3-4 in added timewhile Messi and the Herons protested uncalled fouls and the clock was ticking. In the locker room, according to Ian Fray, Messi spoke and described the result as “unacceptable”. Fray did not deviate an inch: “We all agree with him. It is unacceptable.” The Miami team has four games left before the seven-week MLS break for the FIFA World Cup: Toronto, Cincinnati, Portland and Philadelphia. None of those opponents were above .500 entering Saturday.
The day also left another triplet, that of the Brazilian Evander Da Silva Ferreirahe first of his MLS career. Cincinnati visited Soldier Field in Chicago and came out 3-2 against the Fire after surviving a rough night. Belgian Hugo Cuypers put Chicago ahead twice and the game became even more difficult when Kyle Smith saw a straight red card in the 56th minute. Evander responded twice to Cuypers and sealed the victory with a penalty in the 97th minute. Roman Celentano accompanied the victory with eight saves.
Los Angeles FC too escaped in the last breath before visiting Toluca, four days before the return of the semifinals of the Concacaf Champions Cup. The Californian derby against San Diego FC was 0-2 with a double from the Dane Marcus Ingvartsen, who scored in the 7th and 71st, both goals assisted by his compatriot Anders Dreyer. LAFC, with South Korean Heung Min Son as a starting substitute, cut back with Denis Bouanga in the 82nd and found the 2-2 in the 104th minutealready in an addition that exceeded fourteen minutes, thanks to Ryan Hollingshead. The 35-year-old defender scored his first goal of the season in a chaotic action inside the six-yard box. San Diego saw three points fly in the most painful way and extended its streak of games without a win to nine.
More comebacks in MLS
He Minnesota United won 3-2 in the Columbus Crew field without the Colombian James Rodríguez, he is out for a “routine medical procedure.” Columbus went two goals up, but Kelvin Yeboah, with a double, and Anthony Markanichwith a goal and an assist, they lifted Minnesota in Ohio. He Atlanta United Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino also gained air with his second consecutive victory: came back and won 3-1 CF Montreal with two goals from Saba Lobjanidze, one in each half, and a goal from Ivorian Emmanuel Latte Lath. Dallas snapped a four-game winless streak by beating the New York Red Bulls 0-2 with Petar Musa’s tenth goal of the season and Samuel Sarver’s first in the MLS.
The results sheet left more names. Carles Gil scored a penalty in the 97th minute to give New England Revolution a 1-0 victory against Charlotte FC and extend their unbeaten streak to six. Philadelphia stalwart Andre Blakewent toe-to-toe with rookie goalkeeper Brian Schwake in the Union’s 0-0 loss to Nashville SC. Reid Roberts saved with a bicycle kick a shot from Dániel Sallói and helped the San Jose Earthquakes to draw 1-1 with Toronto FC to remain undefeated as visitors. Dejan Joveljić responded to Paul Rothrock’s early goal and Sporting Kansas City took a 1-1 lead against the Seattle Sounders. Zavier Gozo and Diego Luna scored in the first halfRafael Cabral achieved his first unbeaten goal of the season and Real Salt Lake beat Portland Timbers 2-0. Lawrence Ennali scored his third goal of the courseJonathan Bond made two saves and Houston Dynamo beat Colorado Rapids 1-0. Mathias Laborda appeared in the 82nd minute to give Vancouver Whitecaps a 1-1 against LA Galaxy.