Miami manager Javier Mascherano deserved his share of credit for the result, as the Argentine made a tactical shift from his favored 4-4-2 formation to a 4-3-3. He also moved up Alba from his preferred left back position to left wing. Both moves paid off immediately.
With Alba focusing largely on attack, he was able to dictate more, and within 12 minutes, Miami got on the scoresheet. Seattle’s Cristian Roldan was forced off possession by Yannick Bright, who immediately fed the ball to Messi. The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner found the veteran Spaniard charging toward the goal and connected on a spectacular pass. Alba finished with ease to put Miami up 1-0.
Miami had more opportunities to pad their lead, but couldn’t capitalize. Messi beat two defenders in the box and had a wide-open net, but hit the crossbar in the 26th minute. He more than made up for that moments later.
Rodrigo De Paul, playing in his preferred central midfield position, broke up a play by Seattle to launch another attack in transition, and Alba returned the favor to Messi, finding the Argentine in the box. It was a typical finish from the former Barcelona star as he doubled the Herons’ advantage in the 42nd minute.
Paul Rothrock had a big opportunity to cut into the lead in the dying seconds of extra time but he was soundly blocked by Oscar Ustari by the near post. The home side continued its onslaught in the second half. De Paul launched a perfect corner kick into the head of Ian Fray in front of goal to push the Herons’ advantage to 3-0 – the exact scoreline by which Seattle beat Miami in the Leagues Cup final on Aug. 31.
Seattle had other chances to narrow Miami’s advantage but couldn’t execute. Osaze De Rosario had a 1v1 on the break against Ustari, but his shot went left and hit the post. Obed Vargas launched a rocket that Ustari also denied. However, the introduction of U.S. international Jordan Morris breathed new life into Seattle.
The American cut inside the box from the right-hand side and found Vargas open in space. The Mexico international blasted a shot past Ustari to cut the deficit to 3-1. Yet, Miami bunkered down after that attempt and ultimately held on for the win. With the victory, Miami jumped to fifth in the Eastern Conference and have three games in hand.
BALLGM rates Inter Miami’s players from Chase Stadium.
Miami manager Javier Mascherano deserved his share of credit for the result, as the Argentine made a tactical shift from his favored 4-4-2 formation to a 4-3-3. He also moved up Alba from his preferred left back position to left wing. Both moves paid off immediately.
With Alba focusing largely on attack, he was able to dictate more, and within 12 minutes, Miami got on the scoresheet. Seattle’s Cristian Roldan was forced off possession by Yannick Bright, who immediately fed the ball to Messi. The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner found the veteran Spaniard charging toward the goal and connected on a spectacular pass. Alba finished with ease to put Miami up 1-0.
Miami had more opportunities to pad their lead, but couldn’t capitalize. Messi beat two defenders in the box and had a wide-open net, but hit the crossbar in the 26th minute. He more than made up for that moments later.
Rodrigo De Paul, playing in his preferred central midfield position, broke up a play by Seattle to launch another attack in transition, and Alba returned the favor to Messi, finding the Argentine in the box. It was a typical finish from the former Barcelona star as he doubled the Herons’ advantage in the 42nd minute.
Paul Rothrock had a big opportunity to cut into the lead in the dying seconds of extra time but he was soundly blocked by Oscar Ustari by the near post. The home side continued its onslaught in the second half. De Paul launched a perfect corner kick into the head of Ian Fray in front of goal to push the Herons’ advantage to 3-0 – the exact scoreline by which Seattle beat Miami in the Leagues Cup final on Aug. 31.
Seattle had other chances to narrow Miami’s advantage but couldn’t execute. Osaze De Rosario had a 1v1 on the break against Ustari, but his shot went left and hit the post. Obed Vargas launched a rocket that Ustari also denied. However, the introduction of U.S. international Jordan Morris breathed new life into Seattle.
The American cut inside the box from the right-hand side and found Vargas open in space. The Mexico international blasted a shot past Ustari to cut the deficit to 3-1. Yet, Miami bunkered down after that attempt and ultimately held on for the win. With the victory, Miami jumped to fifth in the Eastern Conference and have three games in hand.
BALLGM rates Inter Miami’s players from Chase Stadium.
Oscar Ustari (8/10):
The veteran keeper was brilliant at times, denying several near scoring opportunities from Seattle. Not much he could have done with Seattle’s goal, and it is likely Seattle would have split the share of points if he wasn’t at the peak of his powers.
Noah Allen (6/10):
The defender was solid in the first half, but made some costly coverage mistakes, including getting beat by Morris for the goal.
Maxi Falcon (6/10):
Incredibly accurate with passing, evidenced by connecting at 98.3 percent. Made some careless decisions on the ball and almost cost his team another goal. Overall, strong in the air and made three clearances on the night.
Gonzalo Lujan (5/10):
Miami’s weak link on defense, he was closest to Vargas when he scored, and didn’t impact much on the backend, without single tackle in the contest.
Ian Fray (8/10):
Nearly had a brace in the contest as he should have scored on a wide-open shot fed to him by Messi. More than made up for it in the second half, where he scored a perfect header off of De Paul’s assist.
Rodrigo De Paul (8/10):
Looked more comfortable playing centrally and was his typical combative self – in a good way. Created three dangerous opportunities on corners and had seven accurate long-balls, and had three great passes. Mascherano needs to stick with RDP in this role.
Sergio Busquets (6/10):
Was neat and tidy on the ball, but didn’t impact much otherwise. However, Miami will take that level of performance, especially considering he didn’t have to do much defensively with De Paul and Yannick Bright providing cover.
Yannick Bright (7/10):
A good bounce-back performance after a mistake-prone one against Charlotte. Bright covered more miles than any other player on the pitch with seven. He was an absolute anchor on defense, leading the team with five tackles.
Jordi Alba (9/10):
Could left wing be in Alba’s future? In MLS, it just might be – that’s how good he was against Seattle. He scored, had an assist, connected on two killer passes, and provided incisive play. Miami have lacked players who can penetrate from out-wide all-season. On Tuesday, Alba provided a glimpse of why he might be a solution.
Lionel Messi (8/10):
He still doesn’t look 100 percent, as he’s lacking some of the explosion and quick finishing that fans are accustomed to. He had at least three chances that he would normally score, even at the beginning of the season. Still, Messi is Messi, and being at 80 percent is better than everyone in MLS. His superior vision was on display throughout his 90 minutes, and he finished his chance from Alba with ease. This was encouraging from a player who has struggled recently.
Tadeo Allende (7/10):
Allende’s performance doesn’t immediately jump off the page, but he made several strong link-up moves to keep Miami’s attack fluid.
Marcelo Weigandt (5/10):
Continues to be more of concern than help on defense, but didn’t have any major miscues in this contest.
Mateo Silvetti (NA):
Miami’s deadline-day signing finally made his debut. The highly-regarded Argentine teen showed flashes, but didn’t have time to make an impact, coming in the 81st minute.
Manager (7/10):
Mascherano has received his fair share of criticism for being tactically inflexible, so it was borderline shocking to see him make several tweaks to get Miami back on track. The first was Alba, but then also allowing Messi to play as a drifting forward in the front three. And going with a three-man central midfield benefited all and helped De Paul produce one of his best nights of the season. The issue that still remains is fatigue management. Mascherano continues to be reluctant to rotate and sub off players, and some of that exhaustion played a role in Seattle’s goal. Also, in the final 10 minutes, it’s hard to understand not pulling off Alba and Messi to rest, considering the run of games Miami have left.
