Inter Miami CF fell 1-2 against the Philadelphia Union at DRV PNK Stadium on Wednesday night in its first of two home fixtures this week.
Lineup Notes
Inter Miami fielded a starting XI with just one change from the team’s previous match. Drake Callender started in goal; DeAndre Yedlin, Damion Lowe, Aimé Mabika, and Chris McVey lined up as the team’s defense; captain Gregore, Jean Mota, and Duke formed the midfield three; Emerson Rodríguez and Robert Taylor lined up on the wings alongside striker Leonardo Campana in attack.
The start marked Rodríguez’s first in MLS action for Inter Miami, previously making 12 league appearances, all as a substitute.
Match Action
The opening moments of the match featured a handful of key defensive moments for Inter Miami as both sides looked for openings. Notably, Callender made a pair of saves in the first dozen minutes of the match.
In attack, Inter Miami created a dangerous chance of its own in the 22nd minute when Taylor received a pass from Yedlin in the box and cut a pass back to Rodríguez in front of goal, but the winger’s strike went just wide of the mark.
Two minutes later, however, a penalty was called in favor of Philadelphia and Dániel Gazdag stepped up to take it for the visitors and scored to give them the 0-1 lead.
Inter Miami’s best chance of the first half came in the 41st minute; Taylor played a one-time pass to Duke in the box and after a deflection the ball found Rodríguez, who played a pass to Campana and the striker curled a shot at goal but it was saved by Blake. The match then entered halftime with the 0-1 lead for Philadelphia still intact.
Inter Miami then made a substitution in the 60th to add more firepower in attack, with Gonzalo Higuaín replacing Rodríguez.
Philadelphia, however, was the first to strike in the second half as well, expanding its lead in the 66th minute when Kai Wagner clipped a free kick into Cory Burke, who headed it into the back of the net to make it 0-2.
In the 82nd minute, Inter Miami’s efforts in attack were finally rewarded. Mota regained possession in midfield before Gonzalo latched onto the ball, with the striker then driving forward, cutting onto his left foot to beat a defender at the top of the box, and curling a left-footed shot past the outstretched keeper and into the back of the net to halve the deficit. The goal was Higuaín’s third of the campaign, while the assist was Mota’s second.
Despite the hosts efforts to tie the match in the remaining minutes, Philadelphia held onto its 1-2 lead until the final whistle.
Post-Match Reaction
"Losing at home is not something that we’ve done in a long time. So, it hurts," said head coach Phil Neville. "There’s no time in the next two days to be tired. There’s no time to mope around and sulk and feel sorry for ourselves and have a pity party. We’ve got to respond against Charlotte, we’ve got to respond against Barcelona, and we’ve got to respond against NYC a week from Saturday."
Next Match
Inter Miami’s heavy game schedule will continue when it hosts Charlotte FC at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, July 16 at DRV PNK Stadium.
Individual match tickets for each remaining regular season home match on the Inter Miami CF schedule are available by visiting https://www.intermiamicf.com/tickets/single. Fans can also call 305-428-0611 to learn more.
Stats
Possession:
MIA - 57.5%
PHI - 42.5%
Shots:
MIA - 12
PHI - 11
Saves:
MIA - 3
PHI - 2
Corners:
MIA - 4
PHI - 9
Fouls:
MIA - 15
PHI - 18
