Arrowhead Stadium – Inter Miami CF ended a five-game winless streak with a 3-2 win at Arrowhead Stadium in front of a Sporting Kansas City record crowd of 72,610. The fourth-largest attendance in MLS history witnessed some Messi Magic as Lionel scored and served a scintillating assist on the night.
Starting XI
Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets, Luis Suarez, & Jordi Alba all started the match for Miami after playing on Wednesday night against CF Monterrey in CONCACAF Champions Cup. Tata Martino relied on his core players to get a positive result on the road.
No rest for #Messi𓃵 & The Fantastics as they try to end #InterMiamiCF recent winless streak in all competitions
The Herons have not won in their last five matches#MLS pic.twitter.com/QxSR0IV6Rx
— Xavier Guerrero (@XGLAVOZ) April 13, 2024
Match Action
Inter Miami began the match versus Kansas City with another costly mistake as Marcelo Weigandt lost possession of the ball leading to a KC transition that ended in an Erik Thommy blast past Drake Callender in the 6th minute.
Another silly mistake by #InterMiamiCF leads to a Kansas City goal in transition, the home team takes the 1-0 lead
pic.twitter.com/f5WI33IgdA— Xavier Guerrero (@XGLAVOZ) April 14, 2024
Fortunately for Weigandt, Lionel Messi sliced a precise pass to a cutting Diego Gomez who ripped his right-footed shot in for the tying score in the 18th minute.
Lionel Messi with the pretty pass to a cutting Diego Gomez and ho buries it for #InterMiamiCF & ties the match 1-1#MLS #Messi𓃵
— Xavier Guerrero (@XGLAVOZ) April 14, 2024
The teams went into halftime with a 1-1 scoreline. In the second half, the Messi magic continued as Lionel screeched a left-footed missile into the Sporting net to give Miami the 2-1 lead in the 51st minute. It was a trademark Messi GOLAZO from his younger years in Barcelona.
LIONEL #Messi𓃵 with the vintage left footed blast 💥 from long distance! #InterMiamiCF takes the lead 2-1#MLS
— Xavier Guerrero (@XGLAVOZ) April 14, 2024
Sporting Kansas City did not take long in equalizing via an Erik Thommy beauty off a corner kick clearance. Unfortunately, Luis Suarez cleared a ball that floated towards the edge of the box where Thommy skillfully put it past Callender for the 2-2 tie.
Sporting KC ties the match on a corner kick that’s cleared to Thommy who rips it past Drake Callender for the 2-2
— Xavier Guerrero (@XGLAVOZ) April 14, 2024
Diego Gomez, again was all over the pitch for Miami when he stole a ball on the left flank and proceeded to serve Luis Suarez with a tap-in assist for the final 3-2 scoreline and the Miami victory. Gomez is having a career season thus far with his much-improved play.
DiegoGomez steals the ball ⚽️ & then makes a magnificent cross to Luis Suarez for the tap-in score, #InterMiamiCF leads 2-3
Gomez provides the energy & box-to-box intensity for Miami
— Xavier Guerrero (@XGLAVOZ) April 14, 2024
Postgame Quote
Tata Martino could have been placed on the hot seat if Inter Miami did not get the win against Sporting Kansas City. The Herons entered the match fresh off a Champions Cup elimination and winless in their last five games across all competitions. Martino was aware that the team needed a positive result,
The reality is that it was essential to win tonight’s match and to recover the sensation that the team could win. The last few weeks for various circumstances we had been unable to win.
The Herons won the match and got a much-needed boost in confidence and team morale. The focus now is on MLS and soon the Leagues Cup, hopefully, the win can ignite a run of positive results for Miami.
Final Thoughts
Indeed it was essential for Inter Miami CF to pick up the three points versus Sporting Kansas City. A negative result would have placed Tata Martino on the hot seat with the fans, most of the media, and maybe even the owners. Martino got the win and lives to coach another day without the vultures surrounding him.
Lionel Messi is of course out of this world, but Diego Gomez has been fantastic too. The young midfielder is showing a box-to-box ability that is appetized in Europe. As Gomez continues to develop and grow as a player for Inter Miami his days with the team will be numbered.
Jordi Alba went down with what appeared to be a hamstring injury against KC, but fortunately, Franco Negri appears to be back in good form. Negri can maintain a high level of play on the left flank as a full-back or winger if Alba is going to miss games.
Benjamin Cremaschi returned after being out nearly three months injured. He looked sharp and gave the team a spark along with some youthful energy. Cremaschi replaced Gressel and the team did not miss a beat. His addition along with Negri’s gives Tata quality options.
Soon, most of the injured players that can return this season will, and Inter Miami CF might finally have a full roster to make a run at some trophies. Getting eliminated from the Champions Cup was disappointing, but now Miami needs to focus on the task at hand.
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