Inter Miami CF (7W-14L-4D, 25 points) earned an emphatic 1-3 victory over reigning champions LAFC on the road on Sunday night. The win at BMO Stadium saw the team extend its Club-record unbeaten streak to 11, and saw summer signings Facundo Farías and Tomás Avilés tally their first goal and assist respectively.
Lineup Notes
The match marked the first time all six of the team’s summer signings started together. Drake Callender started in goal; DeAndre Yedlin, Tomás Avilés, Sergii Kryvtsov, Kamal Miller and Jordi Albastarted in defense; Sergio Busquets, Benjamin Cremaschi and Diego Gómez formed the midfield three; captain Lionel Messi and Farías led the line in attack.
Match Action
The first pair of key moments in the match came on the defensive end for Inter Miami. In the ninth minute, Miller made a crucial recovery run and defended the last man well, denying Denis Bouanga in transition. Two minutes later, Callender made a spectacular reaction save on a shot from Bouanga from close range.
Inter Miami struck two minutes later; Avilés played a threaded ball from the halfway line into the box that Farías slid and connected with, beating the keeper, hitting the far post and scoring. The goal to take the 0-1 lead was Farías’ first for the Club, while the assist was Avilés’ first.
The visitors gathered momentum following the opening goal, creating a number of chances. Notably, Gómez and Messi were at the heart of several dangerous moments in attack, testing the LAFC backline and goalkeeper.
The reward came early in the second half when Inter Miami’s trio of international legends and former FC Barcelona teammates put their years of established chemistry to use, combining to create the second goal of the match. Busquets played a clever ball to Messi, who controlled, turned, and slipped a ball through the defense to Alba’s run in the box. The Spanish defender continued his run and calmly beat the keeper to extend the lead to 0-2, netting his second goal for the Club and first in MLS. The assist, meanwhile, was Messi’s first in MLS, while Busquets’ secondary assist marked his first assist in MLS and second for the team.
Inter Miami then netted its third and final goal in the 83rd minute. Second-half substitute Noah Allen played a ball to Messi, who took the ball off the defender, drove forward and played a ball to Campana in the box. The Ecuadorian met Messi’s pass and curled a low shot past the keeper, inside the far post and into the back of the net to make it 0-3. It was Messi’s second assist of the game, and eighth overall for Inter Miami, while the goal was Campana’s fifth of the MLS season and seventh of the campaign overall.
LAFC defender Ryan Hollingshead pulled one goal back for the hosts in the 90th minute, connecting with a header following a corner, but the match would finish 1-3.
Post-Match Reaction
"We're happy for the three points, and also for beating this level of opponent on the road, with really good collective and individual play. The truth is it was a really good test for us," said head coach Gerardo 'Tata' Martino.
Next Match
Inter Miami will now return home and prepare to face Sporting Kansas City on Saturday, Sept. 9 at 7:30 p.m. ET at DRV PNK Stadium.
Stats
Possession:
LAFC - 48.2%
MIA - 51.8%
Shots:
LAFC - 22
MIA - 9
Saves:
LAFC - 3
MIA - 5
Corners:
LAFC - 10
MIA - 2
Fouls:
LAFC - 16
MIA - 13
