Chase Stadium- Inter Miami CF dominated “The SunPass Clásico” with a 5-0 shellacking of Orlando City SC on Saturday afternoon. Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi scored a brace each for Miami, with Robert Taylor scoring a lone goal.
The Herons soared past the Lions to claim the state’s bragging rights. Pink conquered purple.
Starting XI
The Starting XI for Inter Miami saw the MLS debut of center-back Nicolás Freire in place of Sergeii Kryvtsov. Tata Martino made no other changes to the lineup from the previous match versus LA Galaxy.
The Herons Starting XI sees Freiré get the nod…Tata sticks to his veteran lineup 🆚 #OrlandoCity
Campana 🔔 will have to wait his turn..
Suarez has a chance to endear himself with the #InterMiamiCF fans with some goals today..#Messi needs to be the difference…#MLS pic.twitter.com/cOWPS55KDv
— Xavier Guerrero (@XGLAVOZ) March 2, 2024
Fast Start For Miami
Inter Miami came out strong, pressing Orlando City into mistakes on the ball. One of those mistakes would lead to a counterattack that ended in a Luis Suarez blast past Orlando City goalkeeper Pedro Gallese in the 4th minute of the match.
Gressel with the gorgeous assist for Luis Suarez to rip a shot into the Orlando City net.. 1-0 #InterMiamiCF #MLS
— Xavier Guerrero (@XGLAVOZ) March 2, 2024
Luis Suarez doubled the Heron’s lead in the 10th minute with a left-footed blast into the corner of the Orlando goal. Julian Gressel chipped a lovely ball over to Suarez, who then buried it like the legendary striker that he is.
Suárez puts another one to rest with a left footed blast 💥 with another Gressel assist! 2-0 10’ minutes into the match…
— Xavier Guerrero (@XGLAVOZ) March 2, 2024
Not even 3o-minutes into the match, Miami led 3-0 when Robert Taylor tapped one in after a Luis Suarez assist. The Herons were flying high, and Orlando City was getting dismantled. Miami went into the half with a three-goal cushion over City, a result I don’t think anyone expected.
Suárez with the assist for Robert Taylor’s tap-in to make it 3-0 in the 28th minute… Luis has a brace & an assist so far…#InterMiamiCF #MLS
— Xavier Guerrero (@XGLAVOZ) March 2, 2024
No Slowing Down
Inter Miami handled Orlando’s attacking efforts early in the second half keeping City from getting on the scoreboard. Lionel Messi joined in on the fun, almost accidentally scoring Miami’s fourth goal when a Jordi Alba chip into goal was blocked. Messi chested the rebound and the ball slowly rolled in for the 4-0 Inter Miami advantage.
Lionel #Messi gets #InterMiamiCF fourth goal almost by mistake
Jordi Alba made a scorching run forward, laid the ball off to Suarez, got it back and had his chip blocked by a City defender
Messi puts it in off his chest in a crowd of Lions…#MLS
— Xavier Guerrero (@XGLAVOZ) March 2, 2024
The Herons scored a magnificent 5th goal when Luis Suarez sent a perfect left-footed cross to Lionel Messi, who guided the ball past a hapless Pedro Gallese with a well-placed header. Inter Miami’s rout of Orlando City was complete, a thoroughly convincing 5-0 win at home for the Herons’.
Luis Suárez sends a magnificent cross to Lionel #Messi who heads it in for the 5-0 score line…#InterMiamiCF putting the league on notice…They are legitimate #MLS
— Xavier Guerrero (@XGLAVOZ) March 2, 2024
Postgame Press Conference
During the days leading up to the match, Tata Martino was asked about possible rotations in the lineup versus Orlando City. Martino commented that his veteran stars would need some rest at some point during the season but he felt that after two MLS matches it was too soon to rotate. Outside of the Miami locker room, many believed Tata should perhaps give Luis Suarez or Sergio Busquets some rest, and he did not.
I asked Martino if he felt that the result showed that he was right in not resting his players,
Yes, but it’s not about being right or wrong, it is about me being with the players everyday observing how they recuperate and it clearly appeared to me that there was no need to rotate
Coaches are always questioned about their decisions daily by pundits and fans. Martino made the right choice in playing Messi and The Fantastics in the match against Orlando City. Now, we will see how he manages his players in the upcoming weeks that are full of midweek and weekend games.
I asked Tata if he was proven right by the 5-0 result in not rotating players like many had asked for during the week.
He humbly said that it wasn’t about right or wrong but simply the fact that he knows the day-to-day of the players & didn’t feel rotations were needed pic.twitter.com/LMzjIMLRfB
— Xavier Guerrero (@XGLAVOZ) March 3, 2024
Final Thoughts
There is no doubt that Florida is Pink, and there should be no doubt that Inter Miami is the favorite to conquer the MLS Cup. The spectacular dismantling of Orlando City showed what the Herons are capable of if they are at the top of their game. If the injury bug doesn’t hit Miami, there is Freedom To Dream big this season.
Luis Suarez and Julian Gressel had stellar performances Saturday afternoon. Both players have been heavily criticized for different reasons and both had a breakout game. It’s a long season, and I believe Inter Miami fans will see just how good Suarez is even at his age, and they will realize the value Gressel brings to the team.
Tata Martino is another one that gets criticized heavily by fans. A coach with his resume, in my opinion, should get the benefit of the doubt given his extensive experience. This will be his first full season with Miami, it would be nice to let him work and then analyze the results at the end of the season.
Inter Miami fans showed up for the Orlando City match full of energy and passion. The team fed off that energy and put together their best performance ever. From beginning to end Miami controlled the match with solid team defense and clinical finishing on goal. If this continues and there are no serious injuries, the Herons may soar to heights we’ve never seen an MLS club reach.
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