After allowing an early goal to Nashville SC, Inter Miami climbed back for a 3-1 victory to secure back-to-back victories on Saturday. Nashville forced Franco Negri into an own goal only two minutes into the match as he made his first start for the club since June of 2023 due to an Achilles tear, but it wouldn't take long for the Herons to bounce back as Lionel Messi leveled the score 11 minutes in before keeper Elliot Panicco gifted the Herons a corner. Messi's lofted ball from that corner found the head of Sergio Busquets, putting Miami ahead going into the half.
It's another match that showed that no matter how well a team does if they can't contain Messi and Luis Suarez, they have no real hope in defeating Inter Miami. Messi would add a second goal to his tally from the penalty spot as Leo Alfonso was taken down in the box late on but it won't be all smiles for Tata Martino's men. Diego Gomez left the match in the first half due to injury after picking up a knock, depleting an already thin midfield.
For Nashville, while they had good chances in the first half, Miami's defense dropped deep and was able to close out the match by negating Nashville's attack. It's a performance that shows growth for Martino's team and could go a long way in trying to stay atop the Eastern Conference.
With multiple goal contributions, Messi has seven goals and continues to create for others as everything runs through him. He's shown so many times that when he's healthy he's unstoppable, but the defensive improvement is what is impressive for the Herons. After allowing 1.55 xG in the first half they held Nashville to 0.70 in the second half. While that's not a clean defensive performance by any means, with an attack like Miami's, any improvement will go a long way.
Negri's return will be key defensively but Benjamin Cremaschi also returned to the pitch for the first time this season after hernia surgery. Getting stronger as the season progresses bodes well for defending their Leagues Cup title when it kicks off on July 26th. Gary Smith can take positives from the match but defense has been a problem entering the season for the visitors. They gifted Miami too many easy chances but when Walker Zimmerman returns, the defense should also improve.
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