When Inter Miami welcomed the Philadelphia Union to Chase Stadium on Saturday, the Herons also saw a familiar face return to the line-up in Lionel Messi. After an ankle injury in the Copa America final, Messi had been absent from the competition for 105 days, but with a first-half brace and a late assist he looked like he didn’t miss a beat as Miami defeated the Union. 3-1.
The Herons only fell behind after two minutes, but as the attack began to take control, Luis Suarez assisted Messi for the equalizer in the 26th minute. It was a great team goal from Miami, the build-up came from deep and there was nothing the Union could do to stop it.
His second goal was another great dummy run from Suarez as he got on the end of Jordi Alba’s cross to give the Herons a lead going into half-time. It’s a pretty impressive feat that Miami is already on a four-game winning streak without Messi, and now that he’s back, the team is hitting another offensive gear.
Defensively, Tomas Aviles has his own jitters to work out as he is suspended for Miami’s next game due to yellow cards, but when a deficit can be reversed in the blink of an eye, there is room for error. The Herons still lead the race for the Supporters’ Shield and the MLS points record of 73 could also be within reach if they continue to put the ball in the back of the net like this.
Injuries reared their ugly head again, with Hector Martinez withdrawn in the first half and replaced by Noah Allen. Nicolas Freire has already been out of the center of Miami’s defense for the season, which will lead to questions about how Tata Martino will line up the team against Atlanta United on Wednesday. Sergio Busquets will also be suspended for that match and in times like these he is needed in defense.
Without heroics from Drake Callender, the match could have turned out differently. The Union put eight shots on target, but Callender was exactly where he needed to be to keep them in check. Towards the end of the match, when it looked like the Union might push for an equalizer, Messi again made it clear that he was drawing the defense before playing the ball to Luis Suarez for a powerful shot. It is Suarez’s seventeenth goal of the season as the Uruguayan hunts for the MLS Golden Boot in his first season in the competition.
Moments like this show just how perfect a team must be when playing Miami, because in the blink of an eye, the Herons can make magic happen. They have become difficult enough to beat without Messi this season and with the Argentine it will be easier said than done to stop them before they break the single-season points record.
