Inter Miami tied 2-2 with the New York Red Bulls on Saturday, April 11, marking the second match to end in a draw at the new Nu Stadium, where they have yet to celebrate their first home win since its opening. The Herons also tied 2-2 on Saturday, April 4, when they hosted Austin FC in Week 6 of the MLS.
After the match, Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano did not sugarcoat the situation, as the team has managed only as many wins as draws: 3-3-1 in 7 MLS matches.
Mascherano feels “bitter”
Jorge Ruvalcaba broke the deadlock and put New York RB ahead in the 15th minute of the match. It looked like they would go into halftime with this lead, but in the 45+2nd minute, Mateo Silvetti scored the equalizer thanks to a cross from Rodrigo De Paul.
In the second half, both teams had goals disallowed for offside. However, Germán Berterame stepped up and scored in the 55th minute. Lionel Messi was driving toward the edge of the box, and although Adri Mehmeti stole the ball from him, the clearance fell right at Berterame’s feet. However, nearly 20 minutes later, the 17-year-old from New York Red Bulls redeemed himself, not only scoring the first goal of his career in the 77th minute but also securing the draw.
This final result did not sit well with Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano, who did not hide his frustration following his team’s second consecutive draw: “I believe that today the team deserved much more than what we got; that is the reality,” the former Argentine player began by explaining (via ESPN).
Messi’s former Albiceleste teammate went on to admit that they made some mistakes, but that even so, they deserved a better result: “We paid a very high price for some mistakes we made, which is normal in soccer, but the team did everything it could to win the match.”
“It leaves us with a very bitter feeling because, even though the flow of the game was completely different from the other day, the result is the same, and ultimately, that is all that matters here,” Mascherano added.
Despite the two draws, Inter Miami sits in third place in the Eastern Conference with 12 points after seven matches. This puts them one point behind Chicago Fire and four points behind the leader, Nashville (16).
Meanwhile, Leo Messi and company will have to wait two more matches for a third chance to give Nu Stadium its first victory.
Next Saturday, April 18, they will face the Colorado Rapids on the road for Matchday 8 of Major League Soccer at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver. Then, they will travel to Real Salt Lake‘s home, America First Field, to play another MLS match on Wednesday, April 22.
Finally, on Saturday, April 25, they will host New England at Nu Stadium for the 10th matchday of the league. Will they secure their first home win? Only time will tell.
Read the full article here
