Inter Miami CF II earned a 3-3 draw with Philadelphia Union II on Tuesday night. It was the visitors, however, who claimed the additional point following a shootout from the spot. Inter Miami II was led to the result by a brace from second-half substitute Shanyder Borgelin and a hat trick of assists by Romeo Beckham.
“It was an extremely competitive game with both teams fighting to earn a point,” said head coach Darren Powell. “My biggest takeaway is the attitude and commitment of the players, it was just fantastic. I couldn’t be more proud of the way they came back.”
The hosts lined up for the match with a new-look starting XI for its second match. CJ dos Santos started in goal; Logan Batiste, Modesto Mendez, Aimé Mabika and Harvey Neville manned the backline; Abel Caputo, George Acosta and Byrce Duke formed the midfield trio; Beckham and Edison Azcona started on the wings flanking striker Shaan Hundal.
The match marked the first appearances for the club for First Team players dos Santos and Duke, while Batiste also made his first start for the club.
The first half saw Inter Miami II control proceedings, dominating possession and creating a number of chances in attack. Notably, First Team loanees Acosta, Azcona and Duke created much of the danger for the hosts.
The team’s best chance at goal of the first half came in the 19th minute, when Acosta slipped a perfect through ball behind the defense to Azcona, who rounded the keeper and fired at goal, but the narrow angle saw his shot hit the post and stay out.
Just before halftime, however, Philadelphia scored the opening goal; a corner came in to Paxten Aaronson who volleyed a strike into the back of the net to take the 0-1 lead.
Philadelphia doubled its lead in the 68th minute when Jack McGlynn scored from the spot after a penalty was given by the referee.
The hosts then mounted a furious comeback, beginning just six minutes after Philadelphia’s second; Beckham sent in a pinpoint cross and second-half substitute Benjamin Cremaschi, rose up and flicked a header off the post and into the back of the net to halve the deficit. The goal was Cremaschi’s first at the professional level while the assist was Beckham’s first as well.
Inter Miami II then scored an equalizer in the 81st minute; Beckham again pinged a precise cross, this time to Borgelin at the top of the box, who touched the ball down off his chest and past a defender before firing past the keeper to make it 2-2. The goal was Borgelin’s first for the club.
Philadelphia regained its lead in the 88th minute when Boubacar Diallo scored to make it 2-3, but the lead wouldn’t last long.
In the fourth minute of stoppage time, a free kick from Beckham found Borgelin in the box, who again calmly controlled the ball, took a touch past a defender, and struck a left-footed shot into the roof of the net to make it 3-3. The goal marked his second of the night and Beckham’s third assist, and was enough to earn Inter Miami II a point.
Philadelphia, however, earned an additional point with a 3-4 win in a shootout from the spot following regulation.
The match also saw another Inter Miami CF II player make his professional debut, as Kobi Thomas came on in the second half to accomplish the feat. The young player also calmly converted his attempt from the spot in the penalty shootout.
Inter Miami II will return to action this Sunday, April 10 at 5:30 p.m. ET when it hosts Orlando City B at DRV PNK Stadium in the MLS NEXT Pro Game of the Week.
