By Nick Lee, Bleacher Brothers Staff Writer & Inter Miami Correspondent
Miami scored twice to advance in the CONCACAF Champions Cup, with veterans Suarez and Messi providing the goals. Inter were dominant throughout, and even the home fans applauded Messi’s participation as he returned from missing three straight games due to fatigue. They face LAFC in the next round.
Coach Javier Mascherano opted for a 4-2-3-1 formation for more midfield solidity in the second leg against Cavalier SC, having given what he claimed to be “too many chances” in the first encounter with the Jamaican side. Central defender Tomas Aviles found himself on the bench after a run of disciplinary issues, with two yellow cards and a red card already this season. Mascherano also chose to rest midfielder Yannick Bright until the second half as he completes his return from injury. Midfielder David Ruiz and right fullback Ian Fray also returned to starting lineup.
Sergio Busquets returned as deputy captain and had a strong showing in midfield, showing more energy and closing down several attacks from Cavalier while also distributing the ball well into attack, including almost sending Telasco Segovia through on goal. On-loan attacker Tadeo Allende, starting this game on the right wing, was involved in another goal contribution, this time earning a penalty just after the half hour mark. Dribbling inside the box, he was taken down and the referee awarded a clear penalty. Striker Luis Suarez stepped up to the spot and drilled the penalty home into the bottom corner, finishing with the confidence fans have become accustomed to seeing over the years. He has four goals this season.
Santiago Morales, a homegrown player from the Inter Miami youth academy, made his Champions Cup debut, replacing Telasco Segovia in the central attacking midfield role. Having already made his MLS debut earlier in the season, the 18-year-old Morales impressed again, linking several attacks and covering the pitch well. He would go on to provide the assist to Messi for his goal in second half stoppage time, centering a through ball to Messi who ran in behind and with one touch, buried the ball into the corner of the net. Statistically, Inter were dominant, which is an accurate reflection of the flow of the match. Miami finished the game with 19 shots (6 on target) and a healthy 65% possession and 9 earned corner kicks.
Despite the risk of poor playing conditions due to the state of the pitch, Mascherano acknowledged that bringing Messi into the game was, in part, to help him recover a feel for the game after missing several matches in a row. It was also admittedly a service for the fans: “We wanted him to play. He could score [and he did],” Mascherano said after the game. “The people in Jamaica could see him, so great, great night for everyone.” The match was hosted in the Jamaican national team stadium in Kingston, boosting the home capacity to 35,000 seats, which were fully sold out as anticipated.
Up next for Inter is an MLS matchup, away to Atlanta on Sunday March 16th at 7:00PM. All competitions pause for the International Break for two weeks, with Inter resuming play on Saturday March 29th at 7:30PM, hosting Philadelphia Union at Chase Stadium.
CONCACAF Champions Cup play resumes on April Fool’s Day, 4/1, as Inter travel to Los Angeles to face LAFC in the first leg of the Quarterfinals. Kickoff time is TBD.
As a dedicated Inter Miami correspondent, Nick Lee also covers the MLS, the Premier League and Serie A for Bleacher Brothers. He is the host of their new podcast, Welcome to Miami: The Inter Show, which airs live every Tuesday at 6PM and is available on YouTube, X, Facebook and Twitch.