Inter Miami CF (5W-6L-0D, 15 points) extended its winning streak to five with a 2-1 victory over New England Revolution in front of a raucous crowd at DRV PNK Stadium. The team was led to the result by a historic night from Homegrown Academy product David Ruiz and another goal from striker Josef Martínez.
Lineup Notes
Inter Miami started the match with three changes from its starting XI against Atlanta United. Drake Callender started in goal; Chris McVey, Ryan Sailor and Kamal Miller started in the center of defense with DeAndre Yedlin and Robert Taylor in front of them as wingbacks; Dixon Arroyo, Ruiz and Benjamin Cremaschi started in midfield; Martínez and Leonardo Campana led the team in attack
Martínez, Sailor and Taylor were called into the starting XI for the regular season match after starting in the midweek U.S. Open Cup match. Martínez’s start came on the heels of his brace against his former club Atlanta United that made history, making him the fastest player to 100 MLS regular season goals. Noah Allen, meanwhile, appeared in an MLS matchday squad for the first time this season since recovering from a knee injury.
Inter Miami got off to a quick and historic start in the match, with Ruiz netting the opener in the sixth minute, becoming the first Academy product to score a goal for the First Team; a defensive clearance fell to Campana in the box, who played a pass back to Ruiz outside of the box, and his strike took a deflection and found the back of the net. The assist was Campana’s first of the season.
New England was the next to strike, first having a goal disallowed for offside, then finding the equalizer in the 26th minute through a precise finish from Carles Gil.
Ruiz then made his influence felt again, setting up Martínez to restore the hosts’ lead in the 44th minute; Yedlin played a ball towards the endline for the young midfielder, who slid to retain possession and beat his man before picking out a pass to Martínez in front of goal before the Venezuelan calmly picked his spot and finished to make it 2-1 before halftime. The goal was Martínez’s third in two MLS matches, and brought his MLS regular season goal tally to 101, moving him up to 10th in league history. The assist was Ruiz’s first of his MLS career and continued his historic streak, making him the youngest Inter Miami player to register a goal and an assist in the same match, and the first Academy product to do so.
The second half saw Inter Miami maintain its lead with poised defending and contributions from substitutes. Notably, Allen came on for his first MLS appearance of the season, while Victor Ulloa came on after Inter Miami fell to 10 men. With the substitution, Ulloa became Inter Miami’s all-time leader in MLS appearances. Allen, meanwhile, made three crucial defensive interventions after the 90th minute to help secure the victory.
Both teams pushed to find another goal in the remaining minutes, but Inter Miami’s 2-1 advantage remained intact for the team to clinch its third win in a row in MLS action.
Heineken Star of the Match
Martínez was named Heineken Star of the Match for the second consecutive MLS match as he continued to make history, netting the winning goal that moved him into the league's top 10 all-time goal scorers.
Post-Match Reaction
"We've responded against all adversity with an incredible mentality. And I think of the growing in confidence and the growing in belief, and I'm really pleased... In life when you suffer adversity you see the true colors of a person or of a team and I think coming out of this 0-6 run, we developed a culture and a team that's much stronger than last year," said head coach Phil Neville. "I'm really proud of every single one of them in the squad. We're going to need every single one of them."
Next Match
Inter Miami now faces a quick turnaround, with the team set to visit Nashville SC midweek on Wednesday, May 17 at 8:30 p.m. ET at GEODIS Park.
Inter Miami CF and Baptist Health teamed up to raise awareness about the importance of mental health and its impact on our overall well-being. Baptist Health provides the community access to a resource page that serves as a hub for a wide range of health topics including mental health, nutrition, exercise, and physician talks. Click here to learn more.
Notably, the first 7,000 fans that arrived at the gates received a co-branded Inter Miami CF and Baptist Health rally towel.
Baptist Health Check Presentation
As part of Baptist Health's community efforts, for each corner kick taken throughout the season, Inter Miami CF makes a donation that is shared by Baptist Health Foundation and the Inter Miami CF Foundation. Together they have raised over $20,000 benefitting the foundations. On Saturday, May 13, a check from the 2022 season donations was presented to the Baptist Health Foundation at halftime.
Special Olympics Unified Team Presented by Florida Blue
Inter Miami CF introduced the Club’s 2023 Inter Miami CF Special Olympics Unified Team presented by Florida Blue on the field at halftime of tonight's match.
Stats
Possession:
MIA - 42.4%
NE - 57.6%
Shots:
MIA - 7
NE - 4
Saves:
MIA - 1
NE - 1
Corners:
MIA - 2
NE - 6
Fouls:
MIA - 16
NE - 9
