Inter Miami CF continued its participation in the MLS is Back Tournament with a Group A match against the Philadelphia Union. Inter Miami fell 2-1 in a tightly contested matchup that kicked off at 10:30 p.m. ET at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.
“I think we scored a nice goal of the style we like. Playing from end to end with good combination play. I think the team clearly suffered from an error on both goals conceded, but I think we also had many opportunities to be able to take the lead,” said Head Coach Diego Alonso. “We did things very well in attack, but we didn't finish. Errors in one end and in the other cost points.”
“Beyond the mistakes I think the team played well, but we must improve if we want to win matches; especially at the level of mistakes, but I think we played a great match. We generated many chances, we were dominant in the match and faced a rival who took advantage of our mistakes.”
Philadelphia took the upper hand with an opening goal in the early stages of the match despite possession favoring Inter Miami. A deflected pass was met by Kai Wagner at the top of the box who struck a low driven shot into the back of the net in the fifth minute.
Inter Miami, however, quickly responded to the deficit. In the 23rd minute, Julián Carranza tested Philadelphia goalkeeper Andre Blake with a low shot.
Thirteen minutes later, Inter Miami’s budding control paid dividends when Heineken Man of the Match Rodolfo Pizarro scored an equalizing goal. A picturesque counterattacking move was launched by Lewis Morgan who drove forward from his own half before delivering a pass forward to the Mexican international. Pizarro’s first-time backheel pass found its way back to Morgan, who then delivered a pinpoint pass out to Matías Pellegrini on the left wing. Pellegrini collected the ball and delivered a cross to Pizarro who again calmly controlled the ball before sliding a low shot across goal and into the net, registering his second goal of the season. It was also Pellegrini’s first assist with the Club.
In the early moments of the second half Inter Miami again looked to be in control of the proceedings, dictating the rhythm of the game and threatening the goal with a left-footed curling shot from Morgan in the 51st minute.
A few moments later, however, Philadelphia took the lead, this time thanks to a goal on the counter from Kacper Przybylko.
Inter Miami made its first changes in the 68th minute when Lee Nguyen came on for Wil Trapp and Jerome Kiesewetter came on for his Club debut in place of Pellegrini. The team looked to have a chance to equalize in the 75th minute when a penalty was called on Philadelphia, but a VAR review reversed the decision. Moments later, Román Torres’ header struck the crossbar after a precise corner delivery from Morgan.
The team made its last two changes in the 87th minute when Jay Chapman and Mikey Ambrose came on for Victor Ulloa and Ben Sweat respectively. Inter Miami continued to threaten for the remainder of the match, including a 95th minute header from Carranza that required a save, but ultimately the team was unable to equalize. A few seconds before the final whistle, center back Andrés Reyes received a red card after his second yellow card of the match, making him unavailable for the final group stage match.
The match was marked by the return of Panamanian center back Torres, who started in the team’s first two MLS matches but was unavailable for the first match of the tournament due to a one-match red card suspension. Young Argentine forward Carranza, the second signing in Inter Miami history, made his first start for the Club after previously coming off the bench for his debut against Orlando City SC last week.
The team also debuted the “RosaNegra,” the Club’s inaugural away jersey first revealed on February 5, 2020, at the FORWARD25 event in New York City. The “RosaNegra” features pink accent stripes over black as an ode to South Florida’s vibrant soul and the key milestone that this season represents for both Inter Miami and MLS, embossed herons representing freedom and strength and the Club mantra “Freedom to Dream” on the inside of the collar that reflects the ambitious mindset of the Club.
Inter Miami will continue MLS is Back Tournament play with its third and final group stage match July 20 when it takes on New York City FC at 9 a.m. ET. The match is set to air on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and TSN.
