Inter Miami lose tight game to rival Orlando City

Another chapter of the Sunshine Classico was written as a struggling Inter Miami hosted Orlando City at the DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale on Friday, June 25th. Orlando City entered this match as one of the hottest clubs in the MLS with a 5-3-1 record and 2nd place in the Eastern Conference while Inter Miami had a dismal 2-2-5 record and are one of just four teams with single digit points at this point of the season.

With all this said, it is easy to assume that Inter Miami would be heavy underdogs heading into this rivalry matchup. However, with this being the third game in seven days for Orlando City there was reason to believe the Herons could muster up enough effort to put their rivals on the back foot and take control of this game. Even with star players Gonzalo Higuain and Rodolfo Pizarro out of the starting lineup due to fitness this was still a chance for Inter Miami to finally show up for a home crowd that has given them an incredible home field advantage despite a putrid 0-1-4 record at home to start the season.

From the kickoff, there was a different feel about this Inter Miami squad. Whether it was the crisp passing up and down the field, the pressure on the ball whenever Orlando City had possession or the chances at goal; Inter Miami were doing it all in the first half and completely dominated the run of play. What was most impressive was how dominant the midfield and defense was for Inter Miami. The inclusion of Jay Chapman into the starting lineup was not received well from the fans, as he had a horrid performance against D.C. United last time out, but he was easily one of the best players on the field alongside Blaise Matuidi. Both were constantly winning the ball back in the midfield and halting any chance for Orlando City’s attack to garner any rhythm. All in all, it was the best game for Chapman in an Inter Miami uniform as he finished with five tackles won, three interceptions, 94.6% pass completion and one assist.

Despite a strong display in the first half and a couple chances at goal, the home side had nothing to show for it as they were not able to capitalize on the attacking end, which continues to be a huge issue for this team. However, there were still a lot of positives to take out of that half as it was the best showing from the Herons in quite some time.

Unfortunately, watching this game, you knew Orlando City were going to come out looking much more assertive in the 2nd half than they did in the first and that is exactly what happened. The Lions were aggressive and were taking the game right at Inter Miami and their shaky defense. However, surprisingly, the Herons were not overwhelmed and despite giving up a few chances to Orlando they kept their heads and continued to perform as a strong unit. The opening minutes was a back-and-forth affair that was extremely exciting to watch and exactly what you would expect from an in-state rivalry. However, Inter Miami looked timid and indecisive when they were on the attack. Scotland winger Lewis Morgan, who is arguably the best attacking player on the team, would show flashes of brilliance, but with no help from either Julian Carranza or Bret Shea he honestly could not do much.

With the momentum of the game slipping from Inter Miami, manager Phil Neville made a crucial substitution. He brought in stars Higuain and Pizarro for Carranza and Shea, who were not giving the team much. While there were concerns about the energy and effort, they would bring on the defensive end, there is no doubt that they are two of the most skilled attacking players on this team and that needed to be corrected. It only took Higuain six minutes into the game to make his presence felt as he scored the first goal of the game from about 25 yards out for his 5th goal of the season. It felt like it took this ball five minutes to get into the goal as it was hit low and in the perfect spot to beat Orlando City goalkeeper Brandon Austin. The home crowd went insane, me included, as this struggling team was finally showing grit and resilience against one of the best teams in the MLS.

The crowd was still trying to collect itself from the opening goal of the match when Orlando City put together a strong team combination between Robin Jansson, Nani & Chris Mueller to score the equalizer just six minutes later. It was a beautiful play, whether you talk about the Jansson long ball, Nani’s accurate cross or the finish from Mueller; it was a reminder that this team needs just one moment of brilliance to take all the momentum in the game and that is exactly what happened.

The organization and strong play Inter Miami showed throughout most of this game was falling apart. Whether it was inaccurate passes or player out of position, you knew Orlando City had a strong chance of scoring again and taking all three points. The Lions were dominating possession of the ball and were countering the strength of Inter Miami’s play in the first half by overloading the Herons half and making the midfield make tougher decisions. This was resulting in multiple turnovers and allowed Orlando City to run on the counter. Eventually, they would get their breakthrough as after a failed corner kick from Inter Miami, the Lions had the Herons back line on their back foot which allowed Nani to step up and score one of the nicest goals you will see this entire MLS season. Corner of the box with the defenders on their heels, Nani put his team on his back and absolutely launched this ball into the top right corner of the goal to give Orlando a 2-1 lead in the 80th minute.

Everything else was a formality as Orlando City were able to dominate the remainder of the game, take all three points and hand Inter Miami their fifth loss in six games at home. While the result was not in Inter Miami’s favor, now having five losses in six games to start the season, there were a few things you can take away from this game to be proud of. You can look at the consistent play from the midfield trio of Chapman, Matuidi and Ulloa; the strength and discipline of their backline of Figal and Leandro Gonzalez-Pirez or another goal from star man Higuain, who seems to be figuring things out in the MLS little by little. However, what I took the most from this game was that Inter Miami brought out a level of effort that will be needed on a nightly basis to be a competitive MLS side.

Up next, Inter Miami will be on the road for a chance at some revenge as they will face CF Montreal on Saturday, July 3rd at 7:30 P.M. Last time these teams met was on May 12th at DRV PNK Stadium where CF Montreal completely dominated Inter Miami in rout to a 2-0 win. Orlando City will get a chance at some revenge of their own as they head back home to take on the NY Red Bulls on Saturday, July 3rd at 7:30 P.M. These teams last faced on May 29th at Red Bull Arena with New York handing Orlando their only loss of the season thus far with a 2-1 victory.