By Than Harrington
Inter Miami took on the New York Red Bull at DRV PNK Stadium in a match that saw New York boasting an impressive away unbeaten run. This match also marked the return of Inter Miami fan-favorite Lewis Morgan for his first match against his old side since his trade.
Inter Miami didn’t take long to push the issue with Gregore slicing through the box in the 4th minute. He was picked out by Bryce Duke and smashed a shot towards Ryan Meara’s goal which he parried out for a corner. New York returned the favor in the 7th minute as Casseres Jr picked out a streaking Lewis Morgan who blasted a shot just past the outstretched arms of Drake Callendar. In the 18th minute, Lewis attempted a cross to Casseres Jr but had the ball ricochet off Ryan Sailor which then landed on the foot of Kimala. Kimala hit a shot which also struck off Sailor and landed at the foot of Casseres Jr. Casseres set his feet and shot towards goal but was stopped by a man in the form of Drake Callendar.
In the 22nd minute, Bryce Duke has the ball stripped off him by Shawn Nealis who passed the ball to Fernandez and subsequently Kimala. Kiimala would yet again take aim at Drake Callendar’s goal only to find himself denied again. In the 28th minute, Bryce Duke would pick out Ariel Lassiter on the left-hand side of the box. Lassiter does a quick step over, flicks the ball to the right inside the box, and uncorks a blast towards the goal. Meara looks to have it tracked until an ever so slight deflection off the knee of Shawn Nealis and past Meara to thrust Inter Miami into the lead.
The game would be a back-and-forth affair with no real chance until the 57th minute when Lewis Morgan would find Harper cutting into the box only to be denied by Drake Callendar once more. Lowe would clear the parried ball and find Campana up the field. Campana would get past a falling Long putting him in a one-on-one with Nealis. Campana picks out a streaking Lassiter up the left-hand side who blasts a shot towards goal only to be stopped by Meara.
In the 70th minute, Pendant would curl in a ball towards the Inter Miami defense only to have it cleared by Ryan Sailor. The ball only gets to the top of the box where Robbie Taylor was beaten by Amaya who sends a screamer towards Callendar’s goal. In what should make any Top 10 highlight reel, Callendar makes an acrobatic save to his left to deny what could have been a goal of the week candidate from Amaya. Inter Miami responds in the 76th minute as the two recent substitutes link up in open play. The ever-polarizing Gonzalo Higuain bodies a defender and finds a wide-open Victor Ulloa inside the box. Ulloa hits a shot toward Meara who partially blocks the shot. The ball creeps past Meara and looks to be a certain goal until a superhero effort from Shawn Nealis resulted in a goal-line clearance and another missed opportunity for the Herons.
The 87th minute would provide Inter Miami fans with the movement and precision in open play that they have been craving for all season long. A ball was hit up to Gonzalo who was one on one with Shawn Nealis. Gonzalo withstood a shoulder-to-shoulder challenge from Nealis, doubled back into space, and picked out Robbie Taylor who was streaking up the field like a rocket from Cape Canaveral. Robbie nutmegs Dylan Nealis with a gorgeous pass to find Ulloa in the box with only Ryan Meara in his way. Victor does a hesitation step, freezing the keeper and allowing Robbie Taylor to get back onside. Robbie calmly picks out his shot between Meara desperately sprinting back and Pendant whose sprint back to cover the goal line inadvertently kept Robbie Taylor onside. The goal would be the final action in the match which resulted in a 2-0 Inter Miami win over the visiting New York Red Bulls.
Stats (Inter Miami then NYRB)
Possession: 46.4 – 53.6
Shots: 11 – 15
Shots on Goal: 5 – 4
Passes: 396 – 451
Pass Accuracy: 75.3 – 81.4
Corners: 8-10
Inter Miami’s next match: US Open Cup vs Orlando City