Lionel Messi, Inter Miami remain undefeated as role players step up in narrow win over Columbus Crew

During the very first MLS competition in Cleveland, Ohio, fans may have looked at the wizard of Lionel Messi against the Columbus crew, but a soil and a pulled choice helped the herons to a 1-0 win at their Eastern Conference rivals. A diving header of 20-year-old Benjamin Cremaschi was enough to push Miami back next to the crew.

It is the first loss for the Wilfried Nancy team in the season, because Inter Miami is now the only unbeaten side that remains in Major League Soccer. With the match that took place on Huntington Bank Field, the home of the Cleveland Browns, NFL stars such as Jerry Jeudy were present, but that, along with a record-breaking crowd of 60,614, was not enough to win the crew for a victory. With these teams that become MLS’s class and with the crew that Inter Miami struck out of the Leagues Cup last season, this competition had high effort, despite the fact that it was only the ninth week of a young regular season.

Even without Cucho Hernandez after his move to Real Betis, the crew was able to make victories behind the form of Diego Rossi and the new powerful attacker Daniel Gazdag his full debut, but the crew missed many opportunities during the competition. Those they did not do, Inter Miami Keeper Oscar Ustari was there to save. The 38-year-old Argentinian glove seemed like they were covered with glue because he didn’t spill anything that came his way to take the pressure from the defense.

Every relief was necessary because the men of Javier Mascherano had to suffer to guarantee this victory. Miami was founded in a 4-4-2 and was not particularly dynamic in attack, but that is where Yannick Bright and Cremaschi entered. Linking with Marcelo Weigandt on the right side of the field, Cremaschi could score, giving Miami a lead that they would not lift.

Defensively, Bright was running everywhere in midfield, so that Sergio Busquets could sit deep and choose his spots to perform. With the crew that pushed throughout the second half, his game was needed. Layed in the first round of the 2024 MLS Superdraft, when Miami started to get players like Federico Redondo, it would not have been surprising for Bright to eventually have a smaller role in the team, but instead he has been performed and shown that regardless of who the manager is, he is important for this Miami side.

MLS has been a competition where there are countless roads for success, and this Miami -Line -Up, with a left back that was turned back, countless Argentinian players, own soil, trekkings and of course the Barcelona quartet, show that. It would be impossible for Miami to win alone by buying stars, where schedule structure and finding value to pay those stars have been important.

The implementation was in no way perfect, because the crew had many opportunities to win the game and produce an XG of 3.01 to Miami’s 0.61, but the best teams in the competition win when they are not at their best. The crew will be back under Nancy, especially as soon as Gazdag is integrated, so that they can keep their heads high, but Miami has shown time and time again that a team should be perfect to defeat them.

Every expired concentration will be punished, and that is exactly what happened to the crew. Luis Suarez has been more a maker this season with Messi and Tadeo Allende who bears the attack, but when needed, the rest of the Mami grille is staged. If that continues to happen, there is no reason that the herons will no longer earn silverware at the end of the season, because they want to make up for crash from the MLS Cup -Play -offs during the first round to Atlanta United last season.