Inter Miami CF earned a 2-1 win over Atlanta United on Sunday afternoon at DRV PNK Stadium. The win marked a club-record fourth consecutive victory for Inter Miami, as the team was led by goal scorers Leonardo Campana and Bryce Duke. Heineken Man of the Match Campana now has five goals and two assists in the last four games, while Duke scored his first goal in MLS and for Inter Miami.
Lineup Notes
Inter Miami kicked off with a starting XI one change from its last MLS match, a win on the road against the Seattle Sounders; Nick Marsman started in goal; DeAndre Yedlin, Damion Lowe, Aimé Mabika and Chris McVey started in defense; Mo Adams, Jean Mota, and Robert Taylor formed the midfield trio; Robbie Robinson and Ariel Lassiter started on the wings, flanking striker Campana.Â
The match marked the return of a number of players to the squad, including midfielder Victor Ulloa, who recovered from injury to feature in the matchday 18 for the first time this season. Kieran Gibbs and Gonzalo HiguaÃn also returned from recent injuries to feature in the matchday squad. Mo Adams returned to the starting XI in place of the suspended Gregore, appearing against his former team. Yedlin, meanwhile, donned the captain’s armband for the first time with Inter Miami in the absence of captain Gregore.
Match Action
It was Atlanta who opened the scoring on the day; a corner was delivered into the box and was deflected around, eventually falling to Ronaldo Cisneros, who tucked his effort away to make it 0-1.
Inter MIami, however, responded with a sensational goal to equalize in the 28th minute; a one-two down the right wing saw Lassiter play Yedlin through towards the endline, who then clipped a cross to Campana at the far post. The Ecuadorian acrobatically brought the ball down with a soft touch on the turn and fired a low shot from a tight angle across goal and inside the far post for the equalizer. The goal marked Campana’s sixth across all competitions, fifth in MLS, and fifth in his last four matches. The assist was Yedlin’s second in the last two MLS matches. The secondary assist, meanwhile, marked Lassiter’s second assist of the season.
The match entered halftime in a 1-1 stalemate, but it was the hosts who would break the deadlock in the second half. In the 64th minute, second-half substitute Duke collected an errant pass in midfield, played it forward to Lassiter, who sized up his defender and played Campana through in behind the defense. The striker then turned provider, feeding a pass across the box to Duke, who finished the move with a strike into the vacated net to take the 2-1 lead. The goal marked a milestone moment for Duke as it was the first of his MLS career. The assist, meanwhile, was Campana’s second of 2022.
Duke, along with fellow second-half substitutes Noah Allen, Emerson RodrÃguez, HiguaÃn and Ulloa, proved pivotal as the team took and held the lead throughout the remainder of the second half. Inter Miami defended stoutly, stifling Atlanta’s attacks, and Marsman made four of his six saves in the second half to claim the 2-1 win at DRV PNK Stadium.
Heineken Man of the Match
Leonardo Campana, who registered a goal and an assist, was once again voted Heineken Man of the Match, marking his third in the last four matches.
Next Match
Inter Miami will hit the road next week to face the New England Revolution on Saturday, April 30 at 7:30 p.m. ET. The matchup at Gillette Stadium will be the second of the season between the sides after Inter Miami’s 3-2 win over New England in early April.
Tickets
Individual match tickets for each remaining regular season home match on the Inter Miami CF schedule are available visiting https://www.intermiamicf.com/tickets/single. Fans can also call 305-428-0611 to learn more.
Pink Out! Presented by Publix
Courtesy of match sponsor Publix, the first 10,000 fans that arrived at DRV PNK Stadium received a complimentary pink t-shirt.
Additionally, Publix held several activations in the Fan Zone at DRV PNK Stadium, and at halftime, five rows of lucky fans won Publix gift cards.
Inter Miami's Greener Goals Week Initiatives
Inter Miami CF partnered with Fairchild Botanical Gardens (FBG), the largest botanical garden in South Florida, to raise awareness and educate fans on Fairchild, conservation and specific projects that Fairchild is focused on. Fairchild brought a tent, plants and educational items to Sunday's match to engage with fans and discuss two main projects they are working on: The Million Orchid Project and Growing Beyond Earth.
