Inter Miami player ratings vs D.C. United: Lionel Messi and Rodrigo De Paul deliver as Herons survive late scare

The Herons held on to earn their second win of the season in front of over 70,000 in attendance at Baltimore's M&T Bank Stadium.

Long before the opening whistle, it was clear that, despite being labeled the visitors, the crowd in Baltimore belonged to Inter Miami. The day was theirs, too, as the thousands of fans who packed the stadium for a glimpse of Lionel Messi magic got their money’s worth when the Herons won 2-1 at M&T Bank Stadium.

The Argentine scored what proved to be the game-winner, helping lift Inter Miami past D.C. United. The victory was Miami's second in a row after a 3-0 blowout loss to Los Angeles FC in the opener, and although much of the match came relatively easy, the Herons did have to scrap a bit in the end.

Miami got going in the 17th minute as Rodrigo de Paul scored to give Miami a 1-0 lead. Just 10 minutes later, that lead was doubled as Messi chipped goalkeeper Sean Johnson to finish off a fantastic assist from Matteo Silvetti.

From there, much of the match was played in cruise control - until it suddenly wasn't. A 75th-minute goal gave D.C. United some hope, but ultimately, the visitors were able to hold on through a late D.C. push. It wasn't their best performance, but it was a winning one, which Miami will take at this point in the year.

GOAL rates Inter Miami's players from M&T Stadium...

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Goalkeeper & Defense
Dayne St. Clair (5/10):
Another tough moment for the Canadian. To be fair, though, this wasn't entirely his fault. He did well to get to the initial shot, but could only parry it right to Baribo for an easy finish.
Noah Allen (7/10):
Extremely active as Miami really focused on playing down that left-hand side. When he did get it, he generally drove it forward.
Micael (6/10):
Clean on the ball and dealt with a few challenging moments when he didn't have it. Solid.
Maxi Falcon (7/10):
Could he have maybe stepped up a bit on the D.C. goal? Even so, the slightly better of the two center backs, largely because he was very good on the ball.
Facundo Mora (5/10):
Was generally okay, but lost Baribo on D.C. United's goal, allowing the tap-in.

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Midfield
Yannick Bright (8/10):
Had one fantastic tackle to prevent a really big D.C. United chance. Did so many of the little things that made the game easy for Miami.
Rodrigo de Paul (8/10):
Got his goal and had a few looks for more. The type of performance you'll expect from him, although he did miss a pretty clear-cut chance to put the game away late.
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Attack
Mateo Silvetti (7/10):
His assist on Messi's goal was picture-perfect. It required that extra level of touch and finesse, and he placed it as well as he could to set up a big moment.
Telasco Segovia (6/10):
Set up De Paul's goal and, while the midfielder had to do a lot of work, Segovia's vision to find him across the box was key, too. A bit too loose on the mishit pass that led to Baribo's goal, though.
Lionel Messi (7/10):
Not a Messi masterclass, but even his okay games come with a goal or two. This one was a fantastic chip that left Johnson with no chance, and it ended up being the game-winner.
German Berterame (6/10):
No goal, but he looked more active and involved than in the first two games. Still, a concern that he only got one real look on goal.

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Subs & Manager
Tadeo Allende (6/10):
Replaces Silvetti but wasn't nearly as good.
Gonzalo Lujan (N/A):
Chucked on in the final few minutes to see the game out.
Javier Mascherano (7/10):
Not perfect, but better. He still needs to find a way to get Berterame more involved, but that's a problem for next week. For now, Miami will take the points.

Goalkeeper & Defense

Midfield

Attack

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Subs & Manager