Inter Miami loses seventh game in a row on Messi’s birthday, remains in last place
Lionel Messi was on vacation celebrating his 36th birthday with his family in Argentina on Saturday night, but his new teammates were unable to provide the World Cup champion with the gift they would have liked.
Inter Miami’s lost 4-1 on the road to the Philadelphia Union, and if Messi was tuned in, he got a glimpse of the monumental task that awaits him and his former Barcelona teammate Sergio Busquets when they join the team in July.
The loss was Miami’s seventh in a row, setting a club record, and the team remains in last place in the Eastern Conference with a 5-13-0 record and 15 points, second fewest in Major League Soccer. Miami has been outscored 16-5 during its losing streak.
To make matters worse, left back Franco Negri left the game in the first half with what appeared to be a serious knee injury. He is scheduled to have an MRI and his status for the home game against Austin Saturday is unknown. The defense was already depleted as three starters were missing – DeAndre Yedlin and Kamal Miller for Gold Cup national team duties and Sergiy Kryvtsov with visa issues.
“We are hurting and the feeling after this match is bad due to the final score,” said interim coach Javi Morales, who is 0-3 in his first three league games since replacing Phil Neville. “If you look at the control of the game, the possession, the moments in which we dominated the match, there were many, but when a team doesn’t defend well, it’s very difficult to win. We want the best for Inter Miami... we all have to support each other as a club.”
Asked how the team can make a turnaround, Morales said “with changes” but then added that they do not have many options with the current roster and injuries.
Miami played with a roster that included six youth academy products, and four of them started – Ian Fray, Noah Allen, David Ruiz, and Benjamin Cremaschi. Also, forward Robbie Robinson played his first minutes in more than a year and midfielder Rodolfo Pizarro made his first start since April 22.
Philadelphia took the lead early, in the 14th minute, with a header by defender Jakob Glesnes from a Kai Wagner cross. Miami then had to make an early substitution in the 38th minute when Negri left the game. He was replaced by Robinson, who has been battling leg injuries since early last season.
“I was pleased with Robbie because he is a talented player who has worked so hard for the opportunity to play,” Morales said. “He played well, and I thought he changed the game when he came in.”
Philadelphia stretched its lead to 3-0 before halftime with goals from former Inter Miami forward Julian Carranza and Leon Flach from an Alejandro Bedoya assist. It was Carranza’s 10th goal of the season and Flach’s first.
Midfielder Robert Taylor got Miami its lone goal in the 50th minute after receiving the ball from Cremaschi outside the box and launching a right-footed shot that was deflected before landing in the net. Philadelphia scored the final goal in the 68th minute with an own goal by Ruiz, who was trying to intercept a cross to Carranza but knocked the ball into his own net.
Miami had a 69 percent to 31 percent edge in possession and 9 to 8 edge on shots, but could not capitalize.
“Obviously, nobody’s happy, it’s tough right now,” said Taylor. “But there is no time to feel sorry for ourselves. We have a game coming up at home and we have to get ready for that. We all have to focus on ourselves and not point fingers. We see and read the rumors (of players coming), but that does not affect us. We have to focus on the game at hand.”
