Inter Miami get embarrassed at home by the Revolution

Inter Miami get embarrassed at home once again as they lose 5-0 to the Eastern Conference leading New England Revolution at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, FL on July 21st.

The Herons have hit a new low as they have now suffered a franchise record sixth consecutive loss in what became the biggest loss in team history.

You knew this was not going to be an easy game with Inter Miami coming into this one with the worst record in the league and playing like it, while the Revolution are playing like one of the best teams in the league under manager Bruce Arena, but this is still unacceptable.

The game started with some promise as Inter Miami were anticipating the pressure from the Revolution and getting the ball up the field with efficiency . It resulted in a near miss by forward Robbie Robinson from just outside the box. It felt like it was a sign of good things to come, but boy, could I not have been more wrong.

The sloppiness and tactic-less play started to reveal itself as the first half continued against this organized and talented New England club. Whether it was poor passing, unable to keep possession, terrible defending, formation or cohesiveness, you name it, and Inter Miami were displaying a masterclass on how to lose.

The New England Revolution got on the board first off a set piece, after a beautiful pass from star midfielder Carles Gil finds Arnór Traustason in the box for a header that gets by new no. 1 goalkeeper Nick Marsman in the 15’.

The pressure from the Revolution was causing countless errors from the Herons, and it was Blaise Matuidi who turned it over and allowed a counter attack to turn into a second goal for New England. This time it was Teal Bunbury who cleaned up a Tommy McNamara shot attempt to make it 2-0 in the 27’.

Shortly after, Inter Miami would put together one of their only solid attacking chances of the game when Rodolfo Pizarro found Lewis Morgan in the box and his shot would bounce off the crossbar. It possibly sparked some false hope in fans that momentum could be shifting. However, they were quickly brought back to earth when lackluster defending from the home team allowed New England to get a 1 on 1 situation with the goal keeper. Marsman was able to make the save, but there was no effort from Inter Miami’s back line and a second save had to be made off the rebound.

Things would go from bad to worse as on the in suing corner kick, with nearly the entire Heron 11 in the box, not a single player could clear the ball as it was bouncing around. Eventually, it would be Traustason who finds some space and takes a sliding shot to score his second and the game and make it 3-0 in the 36’.

At this point, the coaching staff, players and fans just wanted to reach halftime to regroup, but New England would not allow it. They continued to attack and get the Herons on the back foot. The ball would find Gil, the most dangerous man on the pitch, and he creates some late magic in the box to find striker Adam Buksa unmarked on the other side of the box to make it 4-0 in the 45+4’.

This would mark the worst half of football in the short history of Inter Miami. You can hear the boos raining down as the teams head to the locker rooms. The Herons wouldn’t record a single shot on target while the Revolution had eight on nine total shot attempts. Absolutely abysmal showing from everyone involved for Inter Miami and it needs to be said that manager Phil Neville just doesn’t have these players playing together.

The second half begins and there was certainly more assertiveness from Inter Miami, but it was far too little too late for them. The Revolution were just coasting throughout the final half of this game, but were still dominating possession and momentum. It was truly a showcase on how far apart these two clubs are and with all the controversy surrounding them it’s embarrassing.

The Revolution were not allowing Inter Miami to breathe on any part of the field and it doesn’t help when players look dejected and uninterested in giving 100% effort. There were multiple occasions throughout this game where you could see Inter players making lazy runs or not getting back on defense.

This would result in New England adding another score late in this game when Gustavo Bou made an excellent pass to Buksa as he scores his second of the game and makes it 5-0 in the 83’.

After the game, manager Neville the would comment on the teams recent performances and how it is affecting him. “It is the lowest in terms of my feelings since I have come here. The manner we lost was unacceptable, it feels worse than that. I can only apologize to the unbelievable supporters, it is them I feel for. They deserve better. I was not expecting it.”

Surely he is feeling pressure from the front office to start getting positive results as the team has never looked worse. In all honesty, I would much rather see a team that resembled the one that played against Orlando City over anything else. They actually played with heart, effort and as one team. That’s what this club really needs.

Next, Inter Miami will be facing the Philadelphia Union at home on Sunday, July 25th at 7:30 PM. The New England Revolution will be back home for their next game to play CF Montreal on July 25th at 6:00 PM.