Player Ratings: Inter Miami Remains Undefeated, Narrowly Beating the Columbus Crew

At least they've improved defensively!

photo credit: Inter Miami CF

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Inter Miami continued its winning streak in MLS play with a nerve-wracking 1-0 win over the Columbus Crew.

In front of a crowd of 60,000 fans, the Herons fought hard, surviving an onslaught of attacking threats from the Crew to hold on to three points.

With a crucial CONCACAF Champions Cup match quickly approaching on Thursday, the Herons did well to keep their undefeated streak in the league flawless.

Here are Player Ratings from Miami’s victory over the Crew.

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Goalkeeping

• 🧤 Oscar Ustari - 8.6: Another MOTM performance from the Argentine! Clear that Mascherano sees him as the starter now.

Defense:

• 💨 Jordi Alba - 7.4: Solid game. Not as effective on the left flank as he normally is, but his presence on the field is enough.

• 🐥 Noah Allen - 7.2: Another strong showing from the youngster. Though Columbus’ attack was constant, he still managed to keep a clean sheet. Ended the game with six clearances, six recoveries, and two headed clearances.

• 🧔‍♂️ Gonzalo Lujan - 7.5: Like Allen, kept a clean sheet and didn’t make any glaring mistakes.

• 🎻 Marcelo Weigandt - 8.2: Got the game-winning assist. Great game from him.

Midfield:

• 🧉Tadeo Allende - 8: Got into several great positions to score, didn’t quite pull it off. Just show how important his skill set is to this team.

• 🍝 Yannick Bright - 8.1: Just an incredibly athletic player who snuffs out any trouble Miami has through the middle.

• 🧮 Sergio Busquets - 7.9 : Solid. Nothing glaringly special about the match from the World Cup winner, but he kept the midfield organized when the Crew were threatening.

• 💪 Benjamin Cremaschi - 8.7: Got the game-winning goal off a gorgeous finish that any striker in the league would envy.

Attack:

• 🔫 Luis Suárez - 6.7: Not his day, and Mascherano said as much when he said he was thinking about Thursday’s Champions Cup match when he took him off.

• 🐐 Lionel Messi - 8.2: Rare “off” day for him. Of course, had several shots and created a couple of chances early. But the defensive nature of the game wasn’t suited to his skill set, especially the last 20 minutes.

Substitutes:

• 💣 Telasco Segovia - 7: Would like to see him played in a central position!

• 🦅 Maxi Falcon - 6.5: Came into a difficult defensive situation, but helped Miami secure all three points.

• 🦒 Tomas Avilés - 6.4: His central midfielder arc is a pleasant surprise and something I’m intrigued to see more of.

• 🦌 Fafa Picault - 6.5: Was defending most of the time, but had a few great runs forward to relieve pressure for the Herons.

• 🇵🇾 David Martinez - N/A: Didn’t play long enough to warrant a rating.

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Coaching:

• 🔢 Javier Mascherano - 7.6: Probably not the most free-flowing football we’ve seen Miami play, but defensively, statistically, Miami has improved. Ultimately, Miami has Messi, Suarez, and talents like Allende, Picault, Taylor, and Segovia on its roster who are proven goalscorers. The goals will come. Comparing the team from last season, sure, they scored for fun, but defensively collapsed when it mattered. This year, Mascherano is determined not to repeat the mistakes of his predecessor.