Inter Miami CF (4V-2L-3D, 15 points) earned a valuable 2-3 win on the road tonight against Sporting Kansas City in a packed Arrowhead Head Stadium with over 72,000 fans in the house, in what was the fourth-largest crowd in attendance for a match in MLS history. Goals from dynamic midfielder Diego GĆ³mez, captain Lionel Messi and striker Luis SuĆ”rez led the team to the victory on the night.
Lineup Notes
Inter Miami stepped onto the field with Drake Callender in goal; Marcelo Weigandt, TomĆ”s AvilĆ©s, NicolĆ”s Freire and Jordi Alba formed a back line of four; Julian Gressel, Sergio Busquets and David Ruiz started in midfield; captain Messi and GĆ³mez flanked forward SuĆ”rez in attack.
Match Action
The hosts started the match on the front foot, with Kansas City taking a 1-0 lead early on in the sixth minute through a goal by midfielder Erik Thommy.
Inter Miami, however, didnāt take long in responding with a goal of its own and tied the match in the 18th minute. A brilliant through ball from Messi left GĆ³mez one on one with the keeper, with the Paraguayan midfielder finishing with a first-time, right-footed finish to equal the scoring at 1-1. The goal was the second for GĆ³mez this regular season and his third across all competitions in 2024. The assist and the secondary assist, meanwhile, were the team-leading fifth for Messi and Gressel respectively this regular season.
Inter Miami then took the lead early on in the second half. In the 51st minute, Messi received a pass from Ruiz before unleashing a long-distance, left-footed strike to send the ball to the back of the net and give the visitors the lead. The goal was Messiās fifth this regular season and his seventh across all competitions in 2024 in just eight appearances, while the assist was the second for Ruiz this season.
The hosts were then able to fight back to tie the score at 2-2 with a second goal by Thommy in the 58th minute.
Inter Miami, however, would reclaim its lead 13 minutes later through a strike by SuĆ”rez. In the 71st minute, GĆ³mez won possession on the left end of the pitch outside the oppositionās box before delivering an inch-perfect low cross into the box for SuĆ”rez to score. The goal was SuĆ”rezās team-leading sixth this regular season and eighth across all competitions, while the assist was GĆ³mezās fifth to tie Messi and Gressel as the teamās top assist providers this regular season and his sixth this year.
The 2-3 scoreline then remained unchanged throughout the final minutes and Inter Miami claimed an important three points on the road against Sporting Kansas City.
Post-Match Reaction
āWe have gained our sensations back, and I think we ended up winning this game in a good way. In that sense, we are satisfied,ā said head coach Gerardo āTataā Martino. āBeing first in the standings is something that is comforting, especially now that we have a long week ahead.ā
Next Match
Next, Inter Miami will return home for the teamās upcoming regular season fixture when the team hosts Nashville SC at Chase Stadium on April 20 at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Stats
Possession:
SKC - 50.2%
MIA - 49.8%
Shots:
SKC - 10
MIA - 10
Saves:
SKC - 3
MIA - 1
Corners:
SKC - 5
MIA - 1
Fouls:
SKC - 14
MIA - 9
