Inter Miami loses 2-1 on road to FC Dallas, and loses ground in MLS playoff race
Time is running out for Inter Miami after giving up a late goal on the road to FC Dallas that cost them the game and a chance to move up in the standings to solidify a playoff spot.
Dallas rallied with two second-half goals to take the 2-1 victory, and Miami’s playoff chances took a hit.
With two games left in the regular season, Miami, Chicago and D.C. United are all scrapping for the 10th and final Eastern Conference playoff spot with 21 points apiece. Chicago has an edge because it has a game in hand. Miami’s next game is on the road Sunday against second-place Toronto, one of the top teams in the league.
“We’re frustrated because we were up a goal and went down a goal, and that has happened to us a few times this year,” said defender Ben Sweat. “I think we had a strong first half on both sides of the ball. We started the second half in the low block and stayed there the majority of the second half and invited a lot of pressure with that, and they got a lot of crosses off. Sitting back like that you’re going to invite pressure, and I think we were sitting back a little too deep and they have good players who can make big plays.”
At halftime Wednesday, it looked like Miami was in the driver’s seat. On a chilly night that had the visiting Miami coaches and players bundled up, Miami was holding a 1-0 halftime lead after a sizzling goal by Rodolfo Pizarro.
Results around the league were also falling into place as Miami fans had hoped. Atlanta United and Chicago Fire lost, which meant a Miami win would have pushed them up to ninth place.
After a few near misses by Dallas – an off-side, a shot off the crossbar, and a save by Inter Miami goalkeeper John McCarthy – Pizarro gave Miami the lead in the 33rd minute.
The shot came after a slick sequence that began with Lewis Morgan on the wing, who got the ball to Matias Pellegrini, who then sent it to Gonzalo Higuain and the Argentine passed a perfect through ball to Pizarro in front of the goal.
In the words of T.V. announcer Ray Hudson: “Pizarro peeled away from his defender like tissue off a toilet roll” and the buildup “had more rhythm than a Jamaican kettle drum band.”
Twenty-one weeks into the season, it was the first time Inter Miami had all three of its Designated Players on the field together – Pizarro, Higuain, and Pellegrini. Pizarro had missed four games while on duty with the Mexican national team. Higuain joined the team in late-September and missed last weekend’s win over Orlando City while serving a red-card suspension.
They showed their quality during that minute of the game.
But it was not enough.
Higuain, the $7 million Argentine known for his clinical finishes, failed to score from the field of play for the seventh game in a row since his arrival. Dallas dominated possession 56 percent to 44 percent and edged Miami on shots 12 to 10.
Miami sat back to defend its lead in the second half and paid the price. Leandro Gonzalez Pirez was called for a foul in the box in the 56th minute and Franco Jara converted the penalty kick to score the equalizer with a right footed shot past McCarthy to the left bottom corner.
Then, in the 82nd minute, Bryan Reynolds got the ball to Ryan Hollingshead, who got behind two Miami defenders and scored the winner on a left-footed shot from the center of the box.
“We did not care about the other results around the league, we were just focused on ourselves and we will continue to work hard to stay in the playoff hunt,” said Inter Miami coach Diego Alonso. “The first half we played well, but the penalty kick got them back into the game. We were in control, but after that penalty they played better and on the second goal we made defensive mistakes.”
Alonso remains optimistic despite the loss.
“We need to make adjustments and keep fighting in the final two games because we have dreams we want to achieve,’’ he said.
Asked if he thought the penalty on Gonzalez Pirez was warranted, Alonso said he would not dispute the referees.
“I’m never going to the referees as an excuse, but what I will say is that penalty allowed them to be in the game. The ones that have to say if it was or not is you guys (the media), or if there was a foul on Lewis Morgan before. My job is to improve the team. When we were 1-1 we had three chances we could have finished, but now we’re looking at getting more points in the next matches.”
Dallas had a few South Florida connections. Coach Luchi Gonzalez is a Hialeah native who starred at Gulliver Prep, went on to win the Hermann Trophy (soccer’s equivalent of the Heisman Trophy) while at Southern Methodist University, then played in MLS and returned to Miami to play for Miami FC and coach high school soccer at Varela, Columbus and Gulliver.
Dallas forward Fafa Picault also has Miami roots. His parents live in Cutler Bay and he grew up playing youth soccer for West Kendall, Coral Springs, Weston and Miami Strike Force. He attended Killian High before leaving for a pro career in Europe. Picault played well against Miami, and had a near-goal on a second-half header.
In addition to losing the game, Inter Miami will lose defenders Gonzalez Pirez and Andres Reyes for the Toronto road match for yellow card accumulation. The status of defender Nico Figal is also in question after he left Wednesday’s game early with a leg injury.
