Inter Miami defeat the Philadelphia Union 4-1. This was the first time the Union lost at home in almost five months.
(Photo courtesy of Reuters.)
Starting XI's:
Philadelphia Union: Andre Blake, Kai Wagner, Damion Lowe (Mikael Uhre), Jack Elliott, Jakob Glesnes, Nathan Harriel, Jose Martinez, Leon Flach (Jack McGlynn), Jesus Bueno (Alejandro Bedoya), Daniel Gazdag (Joaquin Torres), Chris Donovan (Quinn Sullivan)
Inter Miami CF: Drake Callender, Jordi Alba (Noah Allen), Kamal Miller, Serhiy Kryvtsov, DeAndre Yedlin, Dixon Arroyo (Christopher McVey), Sergio Busquets, Benjamin Cremaschi (David Ruiz), Robert Taylor (Diego Gomez), Josef Martinez (Leonardo Campana), Lionel Messi
Goal Scoring Summary:
3' Josef Martinez
20' Lionel Messi
45 + 3' Jordi Alba
73' Alejandro Bedoya
84' David Ruiz
First Half Recap:
Inter Miami kicked off the first-half against a very defensively-minded Union team. Miami collected some possession before the ball came to Kryvtsov. He launched a ball over the top, which Lowe lazily missed. This left Martinez through on goal and Martinez made no mistake blasting the ball past a poorly positioned Blake to give Miami an early lead. And just like that, the Union were behind. In the ninth minute, a great ball from Wagner set Gazdag through on net, but he was unable to capitalize. For the next ten minutes, both teams tried to generate chances. Around the twentieth minute, Martinez was hacked down by Lowe, but the advantage is played. The ball finds Messi, who was able to drill a shot from thirty yards out past a backpedaling Blake, giving Miami a two goal advantage. Immediately after the goal, the Union won possession and Gazdag blasted a shot right at Callander. Right before halftime, Taylor parted the Union defense with a through ball to Alba. The Union defense was nowhere near Alba and he was able to put the ball past Blake, giving Miami a shocking three goal lead at half.
Second Half Recap:
The Union changed formation in the second half, going back to the trusted diamond formation. Uhre and McGlynn replaced Lowe and Flach. Chris Donovan had a golden chance to score for the Union around the sixtieth minute, but was denied by a diving Callender. The Union finally clawed back a goal through Bedoya at the seventy-third minute. Wagner's cross pinball to Bedoya, who was able to side foot it in. Hope for the Union did not last long. Miami broke in transition and David Ruiz, the substitute, was able to score from a narrow angle against Blake. This goal more or less sealed victory for Inter Miami CF.
3 Points to Note:
Curtin did way too much overthinking. Many Union fans, including myself, were shocked to see the Union starting lineup was released. Chris Donovan was starting as the lone striker. there was absolutely no offense on the field, which showed during the game. The Union had no outlet to feed balls into. This just gave Miami more possession. McGlynn was benched for Flach, further limiting the creativity on the field in the attacking third. Three center backs really just helped Miami as Busquets was able to carve the Union defense right open with one pass. There was no doubt the Union played better when the halftime subs were made. These players should have been starting.
The defense was very poor and lazy. Andre Blake, three time goalkeeper of the year, had one of his worst performances ever. He should have saved at least three of the four goals that Miami scored. Damion Lowe was also awful. He was definitely at fault for the first goal and the third goal he kept Alba onside. The Union defense had a night to forget.
The overall effort was there. In my opinion, the Union did not play bad, its just a shame Curtin set out a terrible lineup. Inter Miami had five shots and four goals. That just shows how they have proven goalscorer who can finish, unlike the Union. the Union dominated in the second half when a second striker came on. This gave Miami problems and almost sparked a comeback for the Union. Overall, Inter Miami did not win, the Union lost.
My Player Ratings:
Andre Blake: 1
Kai Wagner: 5
Damion Lowe: 1
Jack Elliott: 3
Jakob Glesnes: 3
Nathan Harriel: 4
Jose Martinez: 6
Leon Flach: 2
Jesus Bueno: 5
Daniel Gazdag: 4
Chris Donovan: 3
Mikael Uhre: 2
Jack McGlynn: 6
Alejandro Bedoya: 7
Joaquin Torres: 3
Quinn Sullivan: 3
Next Match:
The Philadelphia Union stay home to play CF Monterrey for third place in the Leagues Cup. The game is scheduled for 6:00 PM on Saturday, August 19th.
Ben Brecher
Twitter: @BenBrecher18