On the morning of August 25, Inter Miami defeated FC Cincinnati 2-0 thanks to a historic double from Suarez, to quickly secure a ticket to the play-off round to compete for the MLS Cup championship. Outside the field, Messi was extremely happy with his close friend.
The beautiful victory helped Inter Miami “take revenge” on their opponent FC Cincinnati after the 1-6 loss on July 7th, also in the MLS . Veteran striker Suarez continued to shine, along with two familiar teammates of Messi , Busquets playing as a center back and Jordi Alba in the left wing attack position, helping Inter Miami regain confidence right after the shock of being eliminated in the round of 16 of the Leagues Cup.
Messi, who has not returned to the game, continued to come to the stadium to support his teammates. Besides the Argentine star, American football star Tom Brady also came to watch the match with Inter Miami President David Beckham.
Without having to wait long, the audience at Chase Stadium soon celebrated the goal in the 30th second when from the first attack, Suarez scored the opening goal 1-0 for Inter Miami. This was the fastest goal scored in the history of Inter Miami and in the MLS. 5 minutes later, Suarez continued to make his mark with a very fast finish in the penalty area to increase the score to 2-0.
Not only did Suarez score the fastest goal in Inter Miami’s history, he also broke the club’s record for most goals scored in a season, with a total of 18 goals after his brace, surpassing the old record of former striker Gonzalo Higuain (16 goals). The veteran Uruguayan striker still has the ability to improve his scoring record with 8 more matches left in the MLS qualifying round.
However, after an easy start, Inter Miami made things difficult for themselves when defender Tomas Aviles received two yellow cards and was sent off in the 41st minute, leaving the home team with one less player for the rest of the match.
In the second half, coach Tata Martino had to send defender Ian Fray in to replace midfielder Matias Rojas to strengthen the defense. Inter Miami therefore slowed down their attack to play solidly to protect the score.
However, Inter Miami was repeatedly tested by FC Cincinnati’s pressure as they pressed forward to find a goal to reduce the deficit. However, thanks to goalkeeper Drake Callender’s excellent performance in blocking many goals, Inter Miami stood firm and successfully defended the victory to achieve the big goal of an early place in the MLS Cup playoff round at the end of October.
At this time, Messi has returned to play and can reach his most perfect physical condition, greatly increasing the hope for Inter Miami to make history.
With the win over FC Cincinnati, Inter Miami continues to maintain its position at the top of the MLS Eastern Conference standings with 56 points, 8 points ahead of its rival after 26 matches. The team, owned and co-owned by David Beckham, will also aim to win the Eastern Conference championship and the Supporters’ Shield (for the team with the best record in the MLS scoring round).
