Shell Energy Stadium- No Messi meant big problems for the Houston Dynamo as Telasco Segovia, Tadeo Allende and Luis Suarez had huge performances to lead Inter Miami CF to a dominant 4-1 victory on the road. Segovia scored a first half brace and Allende blasted a left-footed rocket into the top corner of the Dynamo net. Luis Suarez completed the Heron scoring with a mesmerizing goal in the second half. Nicolas Lodeiro got the lone Houston score late in the second period for the final scoreline.
Starting XI
Javier Mascherano decided to give Lionel Messi a rest against Houston, citing load-management as the reason. Oscar Ustari was the starting goalkeeper with Drake Callender as the backup. The backline comprised of Jordi Alba, Noah Allen, Gonzalo Lujan and Ian Fray. In the midfield, the legend Sergio Busquets was flanked by Yannick Bright and Benjamin Cremaschi. The frontline trio were Luis Suarez, Tadeo Allende and Telasco Segovia.
The Heron’s Starting XI has Yannick Bright back in with Lujan & Allen lining up at center-back. Ustari, Busquets, Suarez and Alba lead the charge …
SUNDAY NIGHT FÚTBOL!…#MLS #InterMiamiCF pic.twitter.com/bHZZxMDfua— Xavier Guerrero (@XGLAVOZ) March 2, 2025
Match Action
The “Boy Wonder” Telasco Segovia put Miami on top 5 minutes into the match after Luis Suarez directed a pass to him inside the Dynamo box. Houston failed to play out the back cleanly and ended up conceding a silly early score.
Telasco Segovia pounces on the loose ball ⚽️ in the box after a Houston blooper & finishes it to put #InterMiamiCF on top 1-0 6’-minutes into the match…
— Xavier Guerrero (@XGLAVOZ) March 3, 2025
Tadeo Allende blasted a magnificent left-footed rocket into the Dynamo top-bin after an impressive run and a Luis Suarez one-touch pass. Allende broke into a vertical sprint into space the moment he saw the outlet pass to Suarez, Luis laid the ball off to Tadeo for the beautiful score and a Heron 2-0 lead 37 minutes into the game.
Tadeo Allende will endear himself to the #InterMiamiCF faithful if keeps playing & scoring like this… After a timely sprint forward, Tadeo receives the Luis Suarez pass, surges past defenders & pings a left-footed missile for the 2-0 lead…#MLS
— Xavier Guerrero (@XGLAVOZ) March 3, 2025
The Herons were not done yet, Segovia scored his brace two minutes into stoppage time to give Inter Miami a commanding 3-0 lead right before halftime. Telasco used a combination of technique, strength and sheer determination to will the ball into the back of the net.
The Telasco Segovia #MLS breakout tour continues with his second goal of the night to give #InterMiamiCF the 3-0 lead just before halftime…The Venezuelan 🇻🇪 has been just what the Herons needed to replace Matias Rojas in the midfield…
— Xavier Guerrero (@XGLAVOZ) March 3, 2025
Luis Suarez finished off a special night with a mesmerizing solo goal in the 79th minute for Miami. Luis received a quick deadball pass from Sergio Busquets and turned to face two Houston defenders and had one trailing. He faked the two defenders in front of him and shielded the ball from the defender trailing, pushing towards his left, to finish with a left-footed cannon to give Miami the 4-0 lead 79 minutes into the game.
Luis Suarez shows he still has a short burst & some moves left in the tank…Puts #InterMiamiCF up 4-0..
— Xavier Guerrero (@XGLAVOZ) March 3, 2025
Unfortunately, the Herons could not fly home with the clean sheet, Nicolas Lodeiro took care of that in the 85th minute. Lodeiro unloaded with his slick left foot providing some honor for Houston on a night where they were dismantled by Miami sans Lionel Messi.
Lodeiro gets one back for Houston… 4-1 #InterMiamiCF
— Xavier Guerrero (@XGLAVOZ) March 3, 2025
Postgame
Several incidents throughout the contentious match led to a postgame skirmish where Ian Fray was shown a red card for apparently making contact with Ethan Bartlow’s neck/face while trying to loosen Bartlow’s grip on his jersey. In his press conference, Masch was livid with the referee stating that Fray had done nothing to deserve a red card,
I saw the video, Ian doesn’t do anything at all. He wants to go to the locker room and [ Ethan Bartlow] grabs him by the shirt and Ian tries to break free once, twice, three times while the referee is next to them just watching. That is starting to worry me, that does worry me because Ian didn’t do anything. When my players don’t do anything wrong, I will kill for them, I will kill for them whatever it costs
So a Houston player grabbed Fray's jersey in front of the ref and got red carded for trying to make him let go??????
Make it make sense. #InterMiamiCF pic.twitter.com/HhZPByp6kg
— La Ventanita C.F. (@VentanitaCF) March 3, 2025
Final Thoughts
I don’t think the decision to rest Messi was due to load management, I believe there’s more to it. When Messi exited the Sporting KC match at home, he looked slightly uncomfortable. Hopefully, rest is all he needs to return soon to the squad and play.
Telasco Segovia is showing why many believe he’s a special talent. The Venezuelan midfielder immediately connected with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez on the attacking end of the game while still providing good defensive skills. Barring and injuries, Segovia is in the running for Best Young MLS Player this season.
Tadeo Allende can play at a high level as he demonstrated with his masterful goal versus Houston. He has a rare combination of size, speed, and technique and should help Miami greatly if they win any trophies in 2025.
Luis Suarez is a legendary striker but he can do it all on the pitch. Lately, he’s been providing assists and scoring goals for Miami. The ageless wonder is truly an amazing player that adapts to the circumstances to get the job done.
The Herons showed in Houston that they are much more than a Messi-dependent team. The depth in every position for Miami is something to look at.
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