Inter Miami CF II's historic season came to an end at home, as the team fell to Columbus Crew 2 in the quarterfinals of the MLS NEXT Pro Playoffs. Despite the setback, the match featured goals from Cohen Yuval and substitute Zeltzer-Zubida, marking a memorable moment in the Club’s first-ever playoff appearance.
Inter Miami CF II took to the field in a 4-4-2 formation with Owen Finnerty in goal; Tyler Hall, Ryan Sailor, Giovanni Ferraina, and captain Nykolas Sessock in defense; Alejandro Flores, Ricardo Montenegro, Jose Casas, and Cesar Abadia-Reda formed the midfield; while Ryan Carmichael and Cohen Yuval led the team’s offense.
The first half of the game saw Inter Miami II battling through the rain against a Columbus Crew side that played a solid half to score two times in 30 minutes. Forward Cohen Yuval found the back of the net, for the seventh time this season, near the break to cut the Crew’s advantage in half. During added time of the first half, Columbus scored a header from an inswinging corner to give the visitors the 1-3 lead into the halftime.
The second half started with the visitors further extending the advantage with their fourth of the night. In response, HiguaÃn moved the pieces by bringing in Zeltzer-Zubida, Saja, Ristano, Martinez, and Morales. These substitutions would bring freshness into the game and it reflected when Zeltzer-Zubida scored the second goal for the Herons. Columbus Crew ended the night on a strong note scoring two more goals throughout the final minutes of the half to seal the 2-6 result.
Despite the loss, this result caps off a remarkable season for Inter Miami II, who qualified for the playoffs for the first time in their history. The team will now look ahead to building on this foundation as they prepare for the next campaign.
