Inter Miami CF fell to CF Montréal 1-0 on Saturday night on the road at Stade Saputo.
Lineup Notes
Drake Callender started in goal; captain DeAndre Yedlin, Sergii Kryvtsov, Kamal Miller and Negri lined up in defense; Dixon Arroyo and Ian Fray anchored the midfield with Corentin Jean, Benjamin Cremaschi, Robert Taylor in front of them; Leonardo Campana led the line in attack.
Fray marked his first MLS start just days after registering his first Inter Miami First Team start in the midweek U.S. Open Cup win over Nashville SC. Miller returned to face his former team in Montreal as a starter, while former Inter Miami midfielder Bryce Duke started for CF Montréal.
Match Action
Inter Miami grew into the first half, gathering momentum as the match progressed through its first 45 minutes. The team’s best chances of the half came after the half hour mark, including efforts from Campana and Taylor.
Notably, in the 32nd minute, Campana shielded his defender and ran onto a long ball, played a pass to Taylor out wide and continued his run into the box. The Finnish winger played a pass back to Campana in the box, but his first-time effort was saved. Minutes later, the duo combined again at the top of the box with a clever one-two, but Taylor’s shot drifted just wide of the far post. Despite the efforts, the match went into the break scoreless.
Montreal then opened the scoring in the second half when a low cross from the left wing came in to Chinonso Offor sliding in front of goal, who connected to make it 1-0.
In response, Inter Miami turned up the pressure, creating several chances throughout the remainder of the match. Shots from Kryvtsov, Negri, and Stefanelli tested the Montreal goal, drawing saves or clearances from defenders. Then, in the 92nd minute, the team came closest to scoring when Cremaschi struck a ball from near the endline that hit the post and then was cleared out to Stefanelli just inside the box, but his volleyed effort at goal was cleared by a defender.
Inter Miami finished the match with 58% possession and 13 shots, including five on target compared to two for Montreal, but the 1-0 scoreline held in favor of the hosts.
Post-Match Reaction
“It's a game we should be winning with the chances we created, the moments that we had," said head coach Phil Neville. "We have four games coming up in the next seven to 12 days so everyone has to be ready."
Next Match
Next Inter Miami will return home for a midweek match at DRV PNK Stadium next Wednesday when it faces the New York Red Bulls.
Stats
Possession:
MTL - 41.7%
MIA - 58.3%
Shots:
MTL - 14
MIA - 13
Saves:
MTL - 5
MIA - 1
Corners:
MTL - 2
MIA - 4
Fouls:
MTL - 11
MIA - 12
