This Match recap is presented by Powerful Foods
Inter Miami CF extended its unbeaten streak to three with a 1-1 draw with Atlanta United FC at Inter Miami CF Stadium. Brek Shea scored his third goal of the season and Lewis Morgan registered his team-high sixth assist.
"It's difficult to play better than we did today. I think that this is how we've been playing for several matches and when you lose your concentration for a moment after playing such a good match, it's difficult to explain. If I'm not mistaken we took [21] shots compared to three from them, it's a big difference and it should've been bigger on the scoreboard,” said manager Diego Alonso. “The frustration is to be expected for not being able to get a win after playing a match in which you clearly deserve one, but we have to keep our heads high, have confidence in the players and believe."
Inter Miami dominated most of the match, finished the night with 21 shots (six on target) compared to three (one on target) from Atlanta, and controlled 55% possession but was unable to get the three points.
The Club opened the match on the front foot, creating chances in the early going. In the 6th minute, Morgan collected a pass from Dylan Nealis and made a surging run down the middle of the pitch before playing a pass out wide to Gonzalo Higuaín. The striker fired a shot toward the back post that was saved and struck a close range follow-up effort that was also saved.
A few more chances fell Higuaín’s way in the following moments. In the 14th minute, a loose ball found Nealis down the right wing, who cut a square pass to Higuaín at the top of the box; his shot was heading towards goal before being deflected by an Atlanta defender and falling just over the bar. In the 24th minute, Wil Trapp drew a foul just outside the box in the middle of the field; a free kick routine set up by Matías Pellegrini freed up Higuaín for a shot that was deflected and went just wide of the post.
The match entered halftime scoreless with the hosts creating the bulk of the attacking threat, finishing the half with 11 shots to zero from Atlanta.
Inter Miami opened the second half on the front foot once again, led by the team’s leading scorer and provider Morgan. The Scottish winger created a number of chances, including a free kick that went just off the mark in the 48th minute, a cross to Pellegrini at the back post in the 54th minute that resulted in a shot that went over the bar, and a header in the 67th minute that went over the bar.
Morgan played a pivotal role in finding the breakthrough goal in the 80th minute, driving down the right wing and delivering a pinpoint cross to Shea at the back post, who cleanly connected with the ball and slid a shot into the back of the net to make it 1-0. The goal was Shea’s third of the season and the assist was Morgan’s sixth.
In the 83rd minute, however, Atlanta found an equalizing goal with just their first shot on target of the night. Jürgen Damm played a pass across the face of goal to Jake Mulraney who turned it into the back of the net to make it 1-1.
In the 87th minute, Inter Miami brought on its newest signing Federico Higuaín for his Club debut to help find a winning goal. The team, however, didn’t find a breakthrough and the match ended 1-1.
Inter Miami will travel to New York to face the Montreal Impact for the first time on Saturday, Oct. 17, at 7 p.m. ET.
