Inter Miami CF (3W-2L-1D, 10 points) fell 4-0 against the New York Bulls at Red Bulls Arena on Saturday afternoon.
Lineup Notes
Inter Miami lined up with CJ dos Santos in goal; Robert Taylor, Tomás Avilés, Sergii Kryvtsov, Noah Allen and Jordi Alba made up a back line of five; Julian Gressel, Sergio Busquets and Lawson Sunderland started in midfield; strikers Leonardo Campana and Luis Suárez led the team’s attack.
Goalkeeper dos Santos registered his first start of the 2024 regular season at Red Bull Arena today in the absence of Drake Callender, who’s on international duty with the USMNT. Additionally, defender Franco Negri returned to an Inter Miami matchday squad for the first time since suffering a season ending injury last june. Lastly, three Inter Miami II players, the Club’s MLS NEXT Pro affiliate, were signed on short-term agreements for today’s match and featured on the team’s matchday squad - forward Leo Afonso and midfielders Pep Casas and Ricardo Montenegro.
Match Action
The hosts took the lead early on in the third minute of the match through a goal from forward Lewis Morgan. The 1-0 scoreline then remained unmoved throughout the remainder of the first half despite efforts in attack from both sides and the match went into the break with the lead for the Red Bulls.
The second half then saw Inter Miami make several substitutions in search of getting back into the game. Notably, three players made their MLS debuts by coming onto the pitch as second half substitutes: recently signed midfielder and 2024 SuperDraft pick Yannick Bright, as well as Inter Miami II players Afonso and Casas.
Despite Inter Miami’s efforts throughout the second half, it was the hosts that scored again to extend their lead. Goals by Morgan in the 51st and 66 minutes and a strike by midfielder Wikelman Carmona.
The 4-0 scoreline would remain unchanged throughout the remaining minutes and Inter Miami fell at Red Bull Arena.
Post-Match Reaction
“We were outplayed from the beginning to the end of the match. We played an unexpected game for us. This is just the beginning, the team has undergone many modifications game by game,” said head coach Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino.
Next Match
Next, Inter Miami will return home to South Florida to host New York City FC in the team’s upcoming regular season fixture next Saturday, March 30 at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Stats:
Possession:
NYRB - 37.7%
MIA - 62.3%
Shots:
NYRB - 13
MIA - 8
Saves:
NYRB - 2
MIA - 2
Corners:
NYRB - 6
MIA - 3
Fouls:
NYRB - 15
MIA - 5
