Inter Miami CF (19W-4L-8D, 65 points) secured a 1-1 draw with Charlotte FC tonight at Chase Stadium to extend the Club’s unbeaten streak to eight in MLS play. Captain Lionel Messi secured the draw with a goal, moving the team one step closer to clinching the Supporters' Shield; a win over the Columbus Crew on Wednesday would secure the title.
Post-Match Reaction
"The search was always ours, and the truth is we missed too many goals. We got very little in return for what we did... The story continues, there are fewer games left. It's a shame we couldn't take advantage of Columbus Crew's draw in Washington, but we have no regrets," said head coach Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino.
Lineup Notes
Drake Callender started in goal; Marcelo Weigandt, Tomás Avilés, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba lined up in defense; Julian Gressel, Yannick Bright and Federico Redondo formed the midfield three; captain Lionel Messi and Diego Gómez started on the wings either side of striker Luis Suárez in attack.
Match Action
From the early going it was Inter Miami on the front foot, creating chances in attack. The first major opportunity came in the eighth minute when Gómez played Messi in behind the Charlotte backline, but the Argentine’s shot was saved.
More chances came at the feet of Messi and Suárez later in the half, but the goal eluded the hosts. In the 34th minute, Messi played a perfect through ball behind the defense for Suárez, and the striker cut in to his right and fired towards goal, but it went wide. Just moments later Messi created danger again, firing a low driven shot at the near post from the edge of the box, but it just narrowly went wide.
Just 12 minutes into the second half, however, Charlotte struck first with a ball in from Brandt Bronico that Karol Swiderski clipped in front of goal, knocking into the back of the net for the 0-1 lead.
The hosts wouldn’t be upstaged, making an important change by bringing on Matías Rojas, marking his return from injury, and turning up the pressure. Rewards came in the 67th minute; a simple string of passes saw Busquets play the ball to Weigandt, who then slid a ball to the top of the box, where Messi met it, took a few touches past the defense, and curled a shot past the goalkeeper and inside the post for the equalizer. The goal was the 15th for Messi in MLS this season and 17th across all competitions, while the assist for Weigandt was his third, and the secondary assist for Busquets brought his tally up to seven in MLS in 2024.
In the 90th minute, Inter Miami made several substitutions, with Academy products Ian Fray, Benjamin Cremaschi, and David Ruiz coming onto the pitch as the team searched for a game changer. Inter Miami came close with late chances for Suárez and second-half substitute Leonardo Campana, but the goal wouldn’t come.
Despite the hosts' efforts in attack, recording a total of 21 shots to the visitors’ nine, the scoreline remained unchanged throughout the final minutes and Inter Miami claimed a point at home with a 1-1 draw.
Next Match
Next Inter Miami will hit the road for a pair of away matches, first taking on the Columbus Crew with a chance to clinch the Supporters’ Shield on Wednesday, Oct. 2 at 7:30 p.m. ET. The team will then head north to face Toronto FC on Saturday, Oct. 5 at 4 p.m. ET.
Stats
Possession:
MIA - 58%
CLT - 42%
Shots:
MIA - 21
CLT - 9
Saves:
MIA - 1
CLT - 7
Corners:
MIA - 4
CLT - 2
Fouls:
MIA - 9
CLT - 8
