MATCH RECAP: Inter Miami CF Earns a Draw Against St. Louis CITY SC in Thriller at Chase Stadiumv

Mauricio Venegas

Sunday, Jun 2, 2024, 10:29 AM

Inter Miami CF (10W-3L-5D, 35 points) earned a point tonight in a highly contested 3-3 draw against St. Louis CITY SC at Chase Stadium. Left-back Jordi Alba shone on the night with a goal and two assists, while captain Lionel Messi and striker Luis Suárez netted the team’s other goals. Notably, Messi made MLS history by becoming the fastest player to 25 goal contributions in an MLS season, tallying 12 goals and 13 assists in just 12 appearances to shatter the previous record established by Carlos Vela in 2019 in 16 appearances.

Lineup Notes

Inter Miami took the field with one change to the team’s starting XI from the midweek match against Atlanta United. Drake Callender started in goal; Marcelo Weigandt, Tomás Avilés, Sergii Kryvtsov and Alba made up a backline of four; Matías Rojas, Sergio Busquets and Federico Redondo started in midfield; captain Messi and Robert Taylor flanked Suárez in the attack.

Match Action

The match at Chase Stadium presented an attacking exhibition from both sides from start to finish. It was the visitors, however, that struck first, with a goal by midfielder Chris Durkin giving St. Louis a 1-0 lead in the 15th minute.

Inter Miami didn’t take long to respond with a goal of its own, with Messi leveling the scoring at 1-1 in the 25th minute. Messi first served a ball outside for Alba on the left wing just outside the box, where the left back took a touch before serving a ball for Messi at the center of the box. The Argentine attacker then finished with a first-time, left-footed finish to send the ball to the back of the net. The goal was Messi’s team-leading 12th this regular season and his 14th across all competitions, while the assist was the third for Alba this regular season and fourth in 2024.

St. Louis was then able to regain the lead in the 41st minute through a goal by midfielder and former Inter Miami player Indiana Vassilev.

Inter Miami, however, struck back in added time to send the match into the half with the score tied at 2-2. Messi recovered possession in the center of the pitch before gliding past two St. Louis CITY defenders and finding Alba in space inside the left side of the opponent’s box. Alba then slid a ball across goal for Suárez to bury the ball and net the equalizer. The goal was the 12th for Suárez and 14th across all competitions to tie Messi as the team’s leading scorer this campaign, while the assist was Alba’s second on the night to register his fourth assist this regular season and Messi’s secondary assist was his league-leading 13th. Notably, with his secondary assist on the play, Messi became the fastest player to 25 goal contributions in an MLS season, recording 12 goals and 13 assists in just 12 appearances to shatter the previous record established by Carlos Vela in 2019 in 16 appearances.

The second half then saw St. Louis net again in the 68th minute, with an own goal putting the visitors ahead 2-3.

Inter Miami then continued probing St. Louis’s defense through the remaining minutes in search of the equalizer and was rewarded in the final minutes. In the 85th minute, a fantastic team play finished with an inch-perfect ball over the defenders by second-half substitute Julian Gressel to find Alba in space outside the box. The speedy left-back masterfully brought the ball down before making his way into the box and slotting the ball into the near post to tie the match at 3-3. The goal was Alba’s second this regular season, while the assist was the sixth for Gressel this MLS season.

Post-Match Reaction

“There was a positive part to tonight’s match, which was coming back three times from a negative result and ending up being better than the opponent in the final 10 minutes where we could have won,” said head coach Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino. “I think it ended up being an acceptable match today with very good individual performances… I think that we leave today’s game with a feeling of at least peace of mind.”

Next Match

Next, Inter Miami will have a bye week before returning to MLS regular season action on Saturday, June 15, when the team matches up against the Philadelphia Union on the road at Subaru Park at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Inter Miami CF Special Olympics Unified Team Recognition

Prior to kick off, Inter Miami CF’s 2024 Special Olympics Unified Team presented by Florida Blue was introduced to fans at Chase Stadium.

In the spirit of our Club motto, Freedom to Dream, Inter Miami CF is honored to continue championing inclusivity and diversity through the IMCF Special Olympics Unified Team for its fourth consecutive year. Together with our Community Partner Florida Blue we aspire to create a world where every individual, regardless of ability, has the opportunity to shine brightly on the field of play. Launched in 2021, the Inter Miami CF Unified Team is made up of athletes with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), and Unified partners, athletes without an IDD.

Stats

Possession:

MIA – 64.5%

STL – 35.5%

Shots:

MIA – 16

STL – 18

Saves:

MIA – 6

STL – 6

Corners:

MIA – 9

STL – 7

Fouls:

MIA – 6

STL – 19