FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Rain swept across South Florida, drenching fans, slowing players and making Saturday's MLS game between Inter Miami CF and DC United a depressing atmosphere. The bad weather reflected the performances of both teams on the field, as the tie continued into the second half. The stalemate seemed unbreakable on both ends, before the final second of the match witnessed a phenomenon.
Seconds after entering the game due to a substitution caused by the MLS concussion protocol, Leonardo Campana took his first touch and prepared to score a game-winning right-footed shot and inject life into an otherwise bored.
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The fear that once ran through the stands at Chase Stadium was suddenly replaced by frenetic joy as Campana paraded shirtless, Miami head coach Gerardo Martino broke into his first smile in 90 minutes and water splashed with every leap of joy. of the fans.
Critics often say that the best clubs are those that find a way to win in the most difficult situations, even by playing poorly. Does Saturday's 1-0 victory mean Miami has become a team that can survive a game without a Lionel Messi miracle?
The Argentine forward usually leads a game with at least one goal and one assist, stealing the show with his awareness of space and left-footed talent. He currently leads the league in assists with 10 and ranks third in most goals scored this season. Only Luis Suárez has more goals than Messi within Inter Miami, allowing the Uruguayan to tie for second place in the race for the MLS Golden Boot.
The two made history against the New York Red Bulls in early May, after Suarez scored his first hat trick in the league and Messi became the first MLS player to record five assists and a goal in a single half.
Together, the two are credited with 25 of the 36 goals scored by Miami this season, but, against DC United, the often lethal duo made no contributions in attack. It is already the second consecutive game without a goal from Messi or Suárez, after the Argentine was absent from the midweek match against Orlando City SC due to an injury, while the Uruguayan lined up alongside Matías Rojas and Robert Taylor. Still, Inter Miami has accumulated four points in the last two games.
Surviving without Messi seemed impossible just a week ago, with the Herons suffering from early goals and a lack of structure. On May 11, CF Montreal scored against Inter Miami in the first half to mark the team's seventh consecutive time conceding a goal first. The streak began on April 6 against the Colorado Rapids and extended to MLS and Concacaf Champions Cup action in matches against Monterrey, NYRB, New England Revolution, Nashville SC and Sporting Kansas City.
“Yeah [we’ve conceded really early goals.] We talked about it throughout the week, during tactical discussions, a minute before entering the game. But they still do it,” Martino said on May 2.
“That's the bad part, but the good part is that we know how to get out of this… But it's a problem that has to be solved. There's constant talk about it, there's a lot of talk. Until now, we can't see the solution.” “
Now, however, Martino may have found the formula and the foundation for a stable defense in Miami. The team recorded its second consecutive clean sheet, recording shutouts against Orlando and now against DC United despite both teams having strong offensive figures. The backline of Nicolás Freire, Tomás Avilés, Marcelo Weigandt and Jordi Alba easily held off the likes of Luis Muriel, Facundo Torres and Christian Benteke, preventing any need for a comeback that the team consistently needed earlier this season.
“Tomás Avilés was the best player of the game against DC United,” Martino said after congratulating the defense for their efforts.
Beyond the bottom line that avoids concession, Inter Miami's secondary characters are now becoming more and more involved. Benjamín Cremaschi had a passing accuracy of 92% and completed two shots to test DC United goalkeeper Alex Bono, while Rojas had one shot. Substitute Campana led the expected goals percentage with .16, drastically surpassing Messi's .04 and Suarez's 0.0.
The two consecutive results without Messi's contribution signal hope for Inter Miami as the Copa América approaches. The team will be without its best player, and several other figures, for five games: Philadelphia Union (June 15), Columbus Crew (June 19), Nashville SC (June 29), Charlotte FC (July 3) and FC Cincinnati (July 6).
The recurring question has been: how will Miami fare during the next FIFA window? With Messi dominating most of the games and orchestrating the comeback from costly defensive mistakes, the future looked murky for the Herons. But ultimately, the success of a club cannot depend on the performance of a single player. Inter Miami previously struggled with that concept, but the win over DC United has now calmed nerves.
“If these players are fit, confident, secure and understand the challenges of the five games after St. Louis, it is clear that we can survive the Copa América,” Martino said.
