Player Ratings From Inter Miami's Weather Delayed Match vs. DC United
+ Inter Miami stay on top of the Eastern Conference.
photo credit: Inter Miami CF
On a rainy Saturday evening, with a torrential downpour hovering above Chase Stadium, Inter Miami persevered, stayed calm, and managed to squeegee out a narrow 1-0 victory over DC United.
The match itself was atypical of the Herons.
It was a low-scoring affair, and - in a nice change of pace, Miami’s defense did well to keep a clean sheet.
Though the DC backline did well to keep Messi quiet, it was the tactical substitutions (and a bit of luck) that saw the Herons keep their top spot at the top of the Eastern Conference.
Here are Player Ratings from Inter Miami’s tight win over DC United.
Goalkeeping, Defense:
🧤 Drake Callendar - 8.3: Had several saves that kept Miami in the game. Glad to see his return to the form that made him great last season.
💨 Jordi Alba - 7.2: A little rusty, but his capability to dictate an attack from the left-back spot should be commended.
🐻 Nicolás Freire - 7.5: Shame about the injury, but he was playing like a lockdown defender throughout the match.
🦌 Tomas Avilés - 8: Great game from Avilés. Was everywhere at once. Was firm in his tackles and prevented Christian Benteke from looking dangerous.
🎻 Marcelo Weigandt - 7: Battled through a knock and didn’t get forward as often but defensively, held it down.
Midfield:
💪 Benjamin Cremaschi - 7.4: Enjoyed his hustle and impact in the final third. His work rate was needed in a physical game like this.
🧮 Sergio Busquets - 8: An incredibly cerebral player. His game-winning assist proved that class is permanent.
🥨 Julian Gressel - 6.4: Not his best match. Ghosted through large parts, but as I said in my last Player Ratings, I do believe he just requires some rest to find his form again.
Attack:
🐐 Lionel Messi 7.5: Off night from Messi, mainly due to DC’s defense, but his ability to baffle defenses and an eye for a pass was evident on the pitch.
🔫 Luis Suárez - 6.6: Wasn’t his clinical self, but I enjoyed his willingness to make runs off the ball.
💉 Matias Rojas - 6.5: Not his best game and looked off, but appreciate his ambition.
Substitutes:
💈 David Ruiz - 6.3: Had a couple of poor giveaways that could’ve seen DC score. Didn’t quite find his rhythm.
🪽 Robert Taylor - 6.7: His pace was key in helping stretch DC’s backline. Though he didn’t get on the scoresheet, he always gives his all for the shirt.
🏋️ Serhiy Kryvtsov - 7.3: Did well in place of the injured Nico Freire. Did look awkward at times, but kept DC’s attack off the scoresheet.
🛎️ Leonardo Campana - 9: Came on, scored the winner, didn’t elaborate.
Coaching:
🔢 Tata Martino - 7.3: DC did well to prevent Miami’s attack from catching fire. However, with some luck and a hungry Leo Campana, Tata did the right thing to bring on the Ecuadorian. In the end, with the Supporter’s Shield race getting tighter, the Herons will need a bit of good fortune to keep their hot streak going.
Agree? Disagree? Leave a comment below! Let’s discuss it!
Really happy for Campana, we need him to get his confidence back to be the supersub we know he can be at the start of the season. But despite the result, its a match to forget, from the delay, to the pouring rain, to frustration with the referee, to the Freire injury, and the the boring performance overall. Hopefully the squad can recover fast after a 3 game week and isn't affected by the long travel next week.
Good late save by Callendar. Good late score by Campana. It's a win. 3 more games Miami needs to win in May. 3 games in June Messi misses. Argentina the team to watch in June.