It all looked like a pretty standard Miami matchup from early on. The Herons had the majority of the ball, but looked paper-thin on the counter - especially in the absence of Rodrigo De Paul. Still, the Herons struck first. It came from an unlikely source. Gonzalo Lujan reacted first to a loose ball in the box and beat USMNT No. 1 Matt Freese after just four minutes of play.
NYCFC soon responded, though. Miami's new signing Micael gave up a cheap free kick at the edge of the box. Nico Fernandez capitalized, whipping the ball down off the bar and past a stranded Dayne St. Clair in Miami's goal. There were further chances for the visitors. Messi was well denied by Freese before smashing a signature curled effort off the post soon after.
The home side made it 2-1 early in the second half thanks to a fluid counter. Maxi Moralez dropped into space and fed Agustin Ojeda, who tucked home. Yet Miami found an equalizer of their own. Messi, of course, provided it, wrong-footing Freese from long range. Micael gave them a 3-2 lead 10 minutes later, rising to meet a Noah Allen cross with a fine header. It all got a bit tense thereafter. NYCFC probed for a third, and St. Clair was called upon to make a couple of tidy saves late on. Micael and Lujan, meanwhile, made clearance after clearance at the back.
GOAL rates Inter Miami's players from Yankee Stadium...
