Lower.com Field- Inter Miami and Columbus Crew played an exhilarating Leagues Cup Round of 16 match Tuesday night, with the home team mounting an electrifying comeback to eliminate the Herons from the competition. Miami led 2-0 with goals from Matias Rojas and Diego Gomez but Christian Ramirez and Diego Rossi (with a brace) scored the Crew’s goals within a 15-minute span in the second half to turn the match in the Crew’s favor.
Starting XI
Drake Callender started in goal for Miami with Jordi Alba, Noah Allen, Sergio Busquets, Tomas Aviles, and Marcelo Weigandt forming a backline of five in front of him. Diego Gomez, Yannick Bright, and Federico Redondo anchored the midfield; Luis Suarez and Matias Rojas were the forwards in a 5-3-2 formation.
Looks like Tata is going with a 5-3-2 …He slots Bright, Gómez, Redondo, in midfield with Rojas & Suarez up top…Rojas could play a false-9 role…Gressel is left out of the Starting XI…Tata Tactics #InterMiamiCF #LeaguesCup2024 #MLS #LeaguesCup pic.twitter.com/njF8M5SG2P
— Xavier Guerrero (@XGLAVOZ) August 13, 2024
Game Action
The Herons stymied the vaunted Columbus attack early in the match with high pressure which caused the Crew trouble playing out of the back. The pressure led to an early goal for Miami when Diego Gomez stole a ball and set up Matias Rojas for a spectacular diving header for the 0-1 lead 10 minutes into the match.
Matias Rojas with the header! The high pressure for #InterMiamiCF nets a goal off a turnover from Columbus…1-0 ten minutes in…#InterMiamiCF #MLS #LeaguesCup2024 #LeaguesCup
— Xavier Guerrero (@XGLAVOZ) August 13, 2024
Miami would go on to control much of the first half but could not extend its lead on Columbus. The Crew could not conjure up their usual long sequences of possession and the visitors went into the half with a 0-1 lead.
Tata’s Tactics are working so far in the first half for #InterMiamiCF…Columbus has been neutralized in the midfield & on the wings…
Let’s see what adjustments are made by both sides in the 2nd half..#LeaguesCup #MLS #LeaguesCup2024 pic.twitter.com/mZw3Bt7Tf2— Xavier Guerrero (@XGLAVOZ) August 14, 2024
Inter Miami doubled its lead in the 62nd minute when Diego Gomez curved a banger into the Crew net after receiving a subtle pass from Luis Suarez. Miami looked like the far superior team on the pitch, and they seemed to be on their way to the quarterfinals.
Diego Gómez puts a little English on the ball ⚽️ putting #InterMiamiCF on top 2-0…The Herons are being “effective” against Columbus..#MLS #LeaguesCup #LeaguesCup2024
— Xavier Guerrero (@XGLAVOZ) August 14, 2024
Columbus Coach Wilfred Nancy made adjustments that changed the course of the match bringing in Farsi, Ramirez, and Matan to start the second half. Tata Martino would make his substitutions too little too late for Miami, making the bulk of his substitutions after the Crew comeback.
Christian Ramirez started the heroic turnaround with a header past Drake Callender in the 62nd minute to shorten the Miami lead to 1-2. Immediately, the quiet stadium became raucous and you could sense that the Crew had regained their confidence.
GET IN @Chris_Ramirez17 💪 pic.twitter.com/dSLSVMVw8M
— The Crew (@ColumbusCrew) August 14, 2024
Diego Rossi scored the tying goal after receiving a curbing cross from Cucho Hernandez in the 69th minute.
DIEGO HAS US LEVEL 🦖 pic.twitter.com/6MXd17rSh9
— The Crew (@ColumbusCrew) August 14, 2024
The momentum had shifted and Columbus could smell blood. Rossi put the finishing touches on the match with a blast into the corner net in the 80th minute after a sneaky pass by Farsi. The comeback was complete, and the Crew held on for dear life as Miami nearly tied the match before the final whistle blew.
Diego Martín Rossi Marachlian 🦖
pic.twitter.com/8E9w7WmVhO— The Crew (@ColumbusCrew) August 14, 2024
Postgame
Yannick Bright was asked about the tough elimination they had just suffered, and he stated
We gave everything we had…Sometimes you lose, sometimes you win
It really is as simple as that. The Herons played with lots of grit and passion during the match, but Columbus is not the defending MLS Cup Champion for nothing. They are a good team also and stepped it up to a level Miami could not match during a fifteen-minute period. The players left it all out on the pitch; this match was lost because of the late substitutions by Tata. Now they must move on and focus on the next match against a tough Cincinnati squad.
Final Thoughts
Inter Miami snatched defeat out of the jaws of victory. The Herons had absolute control of the match through 66 minutes and then let it slip away in a span of 15 minutes. In this match, I look more towards Tata Martino as the culprit for the loss. Martino began the match with brilliant tactics but was unable to counter the in-game moves by Wilfred Nancy. Nancy made early substitutions to start the second half that turned the match around, while Tata waited much too long to make his moves.
Yannick Bright continues to shine in the midfield and keeps showing why he should be a no-doubt starter for Miami. Tata must find a way to keep the young stud on the pitch.
Inter Miami now focuses on the Supporter’s Shield and MLS Cup, the only two trophies still possible this season. If Tata does not manage to win both after this collapse in the Leagues Cup, he could be on the hot seat. The amount of quality and depth on this team demands trophies, and there are still two more left to play for.
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