Tata Martino blasts referee after Inter Miami draw vs NYCFC

The Herons conceded a last-gasp equalizer in their 1-1 draw with NYCFC Saturday, when Pigeons' midfielder James Sands leapt into the air to smash home a header off a corner kick. It was the U.S. international's first-ever MLS goal, and sent Yankee Stadium into a frenzy, with the final whistle coming seconds after the restart.

However, defender Thiago Martins appeared to shove Miami's Yannick Bright during the play, and despite a VAR review, the goal was deemed good. Miami manager Tata Martino vehemently disagreed, saying the match "lacked a good referee" and that Miami should have earned three points.

"The team didn't lack anything, but the match lacked a good referee," Martino said in his postgame news conference.

The Herons had five yellow cards handed to players on the pitch throughout the contest, and a pair of yellows - resulting in a red card and immediate ejection - to a staff member sitting close to Tata Martino in the 66th minute.

Miami scored through forward Leonardo Campana shortly after that frenzy, with the Ecuadorian bagging an effort in the 75th minute, but Sands' late header resulted in the two sides each walking away with a point.

"We had a good game, we should've won," Martino added. "If the referee would've called the foul committed against Yannick Bright, we would've won the game 1-0."

Miami are still sitting first in the race for the 2024 MLS Supporters' Shield, despite stumbles in back-to-back matches in which they earned draws by conceding late equalizers.

Martino believes Miami will be "fine" as long as they look at how they have played over the course of the summer, minus their performance against FC Cincinnati in July, and the two draws this week.

The Herons are back in action next Saturday against Charlotte FC before a potentially season-defining match against the Columbus Crew on Oct. 2.

The Crew are the only MLS Supporters' Shield contender with two games in-hand, and as a result they can mathematically catch the Herons in the race for the regular season title if they win-out the remainder of their season.