Inter Miami CF (2W-0L-1D, 7 points) earned a historic 5-0 win over rivals Orlando City SC on Saturday afternoon at Chase Stadium, registering the largest margin of victory in Club history. Striker Luis SuƔrez had a stellar performance, tallying two goals and two assists, while Lionel Messi also netted a brace, Robert Taylor scored his second goal of the season, Julian Gressel registered his first two Inter Miami assists and goalkeeper Drake Callender registered his second clean sheet of the season.
Lineup Notes
Inter Miami took the field with one change to the teamās lineup from the visit to the LA Galaxy last weekend. Callender started in goal; DeAndre Yedlin, TomĆ”s AvilĆ©s, NicolĆ”s Freire and Jordi Alba formed a backline of four; Gressel, Sergio Busquets and Diego GĆ³mez lined up in midfield; captain Messi and Taylor started on the wings alongside striker SuĆ”rez in attack.
Notably, Argentine defender Freire made his official team and MLS debut as part of Inter Miamiās starting XI.
Match Action
Fans present in the stands at Chase Stadium didnāt have to wait long to witness an opener in the first edition of the Florida rivalry this 2024 season, with SuĆ”rez opening the scoring in the fourth minute of action. High pressure from the teamās attackers saw Messi recover possession in the opponentās third of the pitch before finding Gressel with space on the right wing, where the versatile midfielder settled the ball before serving a precise grounded pass into the box for SuĆ”rez. The Uruguayan striker then finished the play with a first-time strike to the near post to beat the keeper and put Inter Miami ahead 1-0. The goal was SuĆ”rezās first in MLS, while the assist was Gresselās first since joining the Club.
Minutes later, SuĆ”rez secured his brace in the 11th minute to extend Inter Miamiās lead. Gressel kicked off a fantastic team play by playing a ball out wide to Alba near the halfway line, with the subsequent sequence of passes finishing with SuĆ”rez finding Gressel outside the box. Gressel then flicked a ball into the left side of the box for SuĆ”rez, where he took a touch before finishing with a left-footed half volley to the far post. The goal was the second for SuĆ”rez in the match and this season, while the assist was Gresselās second of the campaign.
SuĆ”rez then capped off his brilliant first-half performance with an assist in the 29th minute. Gressel once again participated in the play leading up to the goal, demonstrating great footwork to find space in midfield before sending a through ball to leave SuĆ”rez in a one on one opportunity against the keeper. The striker then unselfishly found Taylor in open space on the left side of the box, where the versatile attacker finished into an open net to extend the hostās lead to 3-0. The goal was Taylorās second of the season, while the assist was the second for SuĆ”rez this 2024 regular season.
Inter Miami didnāt slow down in the second half and continued attacking its rivals relentlessly throughout the second 45 minutes of action. The teamās constant pressure in attack resulted in two more goals; with Messi adding his name to the scoresheet with a brace within a span of five minutes. First, in the 57th minute a chipped attempt from Alba over the keeper saw a defender attempt a clearance over the line, with the ball then bouncing off the crossbar and into play inside the box, where the Argentine star brought the ball down with his chest to send the ball to the back of the net to tally his second goal of the season.
Then in the 62nd minute the teamās captain once again netted to extend Inter Miamiās lead to 5-0; GĆ³mez recovered possession in center of the pitch and found SuĆ”rez with space on the left end of the field, where he patiently waited before sending a cross into the box into Messiās path. Messi then finished off the play with an exquisite header to the far post. The goal was Messiās third of the season, while the assist was SuĆ”rezās second in the match and third of the campaign.
The scoreline then remained unchanged throughout the remaining minutes and Inter Miami claimed an emphatic 5-0 in the first edition of the Florida rivalry in 2024 to register the win by the largest margin in Club history.
Post-Match Reaction
"For my liking, for two reasons - how we played and the level of our opponents - this was probably the most complete match we've played since I've been at Inter Miami,ā said head coach Gerardo āTataā Martino .
Next Match
Inter Miami will now head to Nashville to open the teamās participation in the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup when it faces Nashville SC in the first leg of the Round of 16 at GEODIS Park on Thursday, March 7 at 9 p.m. ET.
Stats
Possession:
MIA - 47.2%
ORL - 52.8%
Shots:
MIA - 11
ORL - 9
Saves:
MIA - 3
ORL - 0
Corners:
MIA - 1
ORL - 5
Fouls:
MIA - 18
ORL - 12
