Inter Miami CF II battled to a hard-fought draw against Huntsville City FC this Thursday evening at Chase Stadium. The match featured a brace from Academy product Mateo Saja.
Lineup Notes
The Herons’ starting XI featured Ivan Schmid goal; Capitan Giovanni Ferraina, Daniel Sumalla, Cesar Abadia-Reda, and Alejo Ristano made up the back four; Alejandro Flores De La Paz, Santiago Morales, David Ruiz and Alexander Shaw in midfield; and forwards Saja, Daniel Pinter led the team’s attack.
Match Action
Inter Miami CF II fell behind early as Huntsville City FC’s Alan Carleton opened the scoring in the 16th minute, putting the visitors ahead 0-1. Miami responded with composure, pushing forward in search of an equalizer, and found it in the 23rd minute when Saja fired a right-footed shot into the top left corner to level the score. Huntsville quickly regained the lead in the 40th minute through Real Gill, sending the match into halftime with the visitors ahead 2-1 after an intense first 45 minutes.
In the second half, both teams remained calm and organized, keeping equal possession. Miami’s persistence paid off in the 87th minute when Saja struck again, netting his second of the night to make it 2-2 and force a penalty shootout.
Despite a strong effort in spot kicks, the Herons were narrowly edged out, earning a hard-fought point on the road.
