The scoreline was close but it probably shouldn’t have been as Inter Miami edged Atlanta United 2-1 at home in Game One of this best-of-three series.
If not for Brad Guzan’s heroics for Atlanta, Lionel Messi and Miami’s stars would have run up the score. Instead, the Supporters’ Shield winners had to sweat out their MLS Playoff opener just a bit more than anyone could have really expected.
Messi didn’t get on the scoresheet, although he will feel like he should have. The Argentine had to settle for a mere assist, as Luis Suarez and Jordi Alba were the goalscoring heroes in the win for the home side.
Suarez opened the scoring within two minutes, giving the home crowd a signature playoff moment right as the game got going. It began a sustained period of Miami dominance, as the Herons created chance after chance as wave after wave of attacks were thrown at Atlanta United.
Guzan, the Atlanta United goalkeeper, was undoubtedly the Man of the Match, making nine saves to keep Miami at bay. And it looked like he might just succeed, too, as Saba Lobzhanidze’s goal just before halftime sent the two sides into the locker room level.
There was no stopping Miami, though, and, in particular, no stopping Alba. The fullback’s long-range stunner was the game-winner the Herons needed, sealing a win heading towards Atlanta for Game Two.
This wasn’t Miami’s best performance, but it was Guzan’s. The Herons will feel that they’ll be just fine going forward. Game One is behind them as Inter Miami’s road to MLS Cup began with a well-deserved win.
GOAL rates Inter Miami’s players from Chase Stadium.
Goalkeeper & Defense
Drake Callender (5/10):
Was only tested once by Atlanta, and that was their goal. Unfortunate for him, but also a credit to those in front of him.
Jordi Alba (9/10):
Vintage Jordi. An absolutely ridiculous goal from the Barcelona legend, who gave Miami the moment of magic they needed to escape this opener with a win.
Hector Martinez (8/10):
Just about perfect. Great on the ball, rock-solid defensively and nearly got a goal of his own. A fantastic game.
Tomas Aviles (6/10):
Fell asleep just a little bit on Atlanta’s goal. Outside of that, was very, very good.
Marcelo Weigandt (6/10):
A bunch of running, but not much danger created. Did have a few looks at goal, though.
Midfield
Federico Redondo (6/10):
Did well to keep it moving when off the ball, but did lose five of his seven duels when asked to defend. Overall, not too much to complain about, though.
Sergio Busquets (8/10):
What do you expect? Completed about 95 percent of his passes and was right there with Alba for most touches of the ball. The perfect metronome, and he added a bit defensively, too.
Yannick Bright (8/10):
Overlooked so often. Not tonight. Provided the energy this midfield needed and hardly misplaced a pass. Such an important player for this team, even if he doesn’t have the star power of his teammates.
Attack
Diego Gomez (7/10):
A fantastic assist on Suarez’s goal as he combined so well with Alba on that left-hand side. Was a little wasteful as the game went on, but he did what he had to do early.
Luis Suarez (8/10):
Typical Suarez, in more ways than one. A fantastic finish early and then plenty of mind games as the game went on. The Uruguayan legend is just so, so good at this.
Lionel Messi (7/10):
It’s almost unfathomable that he didn’t score given the amount of chances he had. Credit to Guzan for keeping him out but, even with that, Messi was dangerous all night. He assisted Alba’s banger while creating five further chances. Had four shots on target and two more that went close. Not quite at his best, but pretty close.
Subs & Manager
Benjamin Cremaschi (6/10):
Good energy off the bench, and he had a few chances to really put the game away.
Ian Fray (6/10):
Heartbreaking. After previously suffering three ACL tears, Fray went down again with another non-contact injury. Everyone involved will be hoping for the best for a player that deserves so much better.
Noah Allen (N/A):
Replaced Fray in the final moments after his injury.
Gerardo Martino (7/10):
Stuck with his stars and got the win. Will he rotate at all for Game Two, or really try to bury the Five Stripes?
