Inter Miami CF (5W-14L-3D, 18 points) fell 3-0 on the road against St. Louis CITY SC at CITYPARK on Saturday night.
Lineup Notes
Drake Callender started in goal; Ian Fray, Sergii Kryvtsov, Kamal Miller and Noah Allen started in defense; Dixon Arroyo anchored midfield alongside Benjamin Cremaschi and Lawson Sunderland; Robert Taylor and Robbie Robinson flanked striker Josef Mártinez in attack.
Martino opened his first match in charge with a starting XI featuring three Homegrown Academy products in Allen, Cremaschi and Fray, as well as Inter Miami CF II midfielder Sunderland, who made his MLS debut on a short-term agreement from the Club’s MLS NEXT Pro side.
Match Action
Both sides started the match probing the opponent’s defensive line in search of generating danger. However, it was the hosts that struck first; St. Louis CITY took the lead in the 28th minute through a header from forward Samuel Adeniran from a corner kick opportunity.
The hosts were then able to extend their lead before the half through another corner kick opportunity when defender Tim Parker headed the ball into the back of the net in the 40th minute of action for the match to go into the break with a 2-0 scoreline.
The second half of the proceedings presented an even matchup. Inter Miami seemed to be close to shortening its disadvantage early on in the second half with two opportunities from Fray, in particular a right-footed shot from inside the box in the 52nd minute that was cleared by St. Louis’ goalkeeper right before crossing the goal line.
St. Louis was then able to extend their lead once again in the 80th minute when midfielder Eduard Löwen found the back of the net in a free-kick opportunity.
The scoreline then remained unmoved throughout the remaining minutes for the hosts to claim a 3-0 win.
Post-Match Reaction
“From box-to-box, the team does things really well, we have a good feel for the game. Today we implemented a plan and we did really well pushing the plan with the few training sessions that we had. In reality we ended up losing the game due to three set pieces… Now it’s just a matter of correcting those mistakes, but in reality, with so few training sessions, I think we should look at the positive aspects of this game,” said Head Coach Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino.
Next Match
Inter Miami will now return to the pitch on Friday, July 21 when Inter Miami faces LIGA MX side Cruz Azul at home in the opening match of Concacaf’s brand new Leagues Cup. Kick off at DRV PNK Stadium is set for 8 p.m. ET.
Stats:
Possession:
STL - 36.6%
MIA - 63.4%
Shots:
STL - 19
MIA - 10
Saves:
STL - 3
MIA - 8
Corners:
STL - 8
MIA - 6
Fouls:
STL - 8
MIA - 8
