Without Lionel Messi available, Inter Miami clutched up through Luis Suarez to defeat D.C. United on Saturday afternoon.
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The hosts opened up the scoring 14 minutes into the match through winger Jared Stroud. However, the Herons responded 10 minutes later with a goal from Ecuadorian striker Leonardo Campana. A first MLS assist for new signing Federico Redondo, the Argentine found Campana for a clinical finish.
Heading into the halftime break at a deadlock, Tata Martino brought on Miami leading-scorer Luis Suarez in the 62nd minute, and the Uruguayan put on a show.
He put the Herons up 2-1 in controversial fashion 10 minutes after coming onto the pitch, scoring off a brilliant counter-attack. However, prior to the finish, it appeared that Inter Miami committed a handball offense in their own box – only to see VAR say no, and hand the Herons the goal.
Suarez added to his tally to put the game away in the 85th minute with a cheeky finish to make it 3-1, handing Miami their third win of the MLS season. A late D.C. red card put things to bed, when Pedro Santos was removed for denying a goalscoring opportunity in the 90th minute.
DID YOU KNOW?
Christian Benteke scored a hat-trick in his first game of the season for D.C. United in 2024, but missed matchweeks two and three due to injury. Saturday was his return to the starting XI for Troy Lesense’s squad, and he put on a strong showing, despite the defeat.
THE MVP
Luis Suarez: The best player on the pitch Saturday only played 28 minutes, but boy did he make an impact. Two goals to add to his tally, he now has four goals in MLS, but across all competitions, he has six goals and five assists. A stunning cameo to singlehandedly win Miami the game, the brilliant 37-year-old made his impact, handing them a victory without Messi on the pitch.
THE BIG LOSER
The Inter Miami defense: Another day, another injury for the Herons. They lost Argentine defender Nicolas Freire 31 minutes into the match. Their defense is already the weakest part of their squad, so losing a starting centerback is a disaster for Tata Martino’s team, especially with no Lionel Messi in the team until further notice.
They’ll have to figure things out soon if they want to succeed week-in and week-out, because lapses on their back line have doomed them throughout the season so far. They were lucky to have Suarez in the second half, because without him, the result may not have been as favorable.
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WHAT COMES NEXT?
The MLS schedule plays through the FIFA International break, so Miami will be shorthanded without Messi for a little while longer. They Herons will clash with the New York Red Bulls on March 23, with the opposition missing their own star playmaker, Emil Forsberg.
