The defeat against Philadelphia Union on Wednesday was unexpected. Having playoffs on the line means you can’t risk negative results in the final stretch of the season. But it was enough to set the tone for the match against Inter Miami CF. The fixture was not only going to be the team’s last home game this regular season but also signaled the first time a legend of the game played in New York City. It was now up to the Boys in Blue to turn the page from the defeat or allow Inter Miami to take over Yankee Stadium.
History made in the Bronx
It was the game of the season, no matter what angle you took. From marketing to attendance and even game day experience, it was all influenced by one man. The greatest of all time or the second best to ever play the game, depending on who you ask. One way or another, he was in town, and nobody wanted to miss out on the occasion.
The first surprise of the evening came during the pre-match celebrations. Inter Miami would give their dynamic duo a chance to start. This was a surprise since Messi was just coming back from an injury, and so many expected to see him for a limited number of minutes. This was set to be only his 3rd game back, but given that he had scored 2 goals in nearly 10 minutes in his return against Philadelphia, things were not looking good. Keep in mind that New York City FC was coming from a 5-1 defeat, so putting two and two together, many, including myself, feared the worst, knowing Messi would start.
On the plus side, the fixtures against Inter Miami have been favorable for New York City FC. One particular memory dates back to the 2022 MLS Playoffs. The 3-0 defeat eliminated Inter Miami and signaled Gonzalo Higuain’s last match as a professional footballer. Let’s not forget that the last time the two teams met, the Boys in Blue would start a streak of good results.
The home side brought out their best XI, having only Birk Risa sit the game out due to injury. New York City was ready to show the visitors that despite having Messi and Suarez on the field, it wasn’t going to be a walk in the park for the visitors. One of the first signs of that came from the stands as the supporter section encouraged people to ‘support your local team’ as a reference to the ongoing habit of making Inter Miami feel like the home team while playing on the road.
The Boys in Blue carried on the energy from the stands and managed to create the first chance of the game through Santiago Rodriguez within two minutes of the start of the match. Inter Miami would hit back through their main man 3 minutes later. His free kick came close to finding the back of the net, but it hit the side net. Within 10 minutes, Santiago Rodriguez answered back with a free kick of his own. Unfortunately, it would hit the post, but the message was sent: New York was going to put up a fight.
The rest of the half was mostly spent in the midfield or defense. From O’Toole to Gray and Thiago Martins, the defensive line managed to put a solid performance. Yes, Messi did create those chances coming in from the wing, but his shot execution wasn’t timed properly to cause any significant danger. Overall, being leveled at halftime was a big improvement from Wednesday. From being 3-1 down to holding a draw a few days later, the team was being solid.
Keaton Parks resumed the action for New York City FC in the second half. The midfielder has been increasingly present in the attacking third in recent games. He displayed his versatility once again following a play that started with Santiago Rodriguez on the wing. Hannes Wolf spotted his run and left Parks on a one-on-one against Drake Callender. Unfortunately, he caught the ball on the bounce, and the shot missed the target. Alonso Martinez had an immediate follow-up right after, but the shot also missed the target.
Within 60 minutes, New York City managed to push Miami within its own half. The connection between Rodriguez, Parks, and Wolf nearly took the lead. Hannes Wolf couldn’t give his shot enough power. The match took on a more heated tone from that point on. Both teams started to get more physical and drew consecutive fouls. Inter Miami saw a red for a coaching staff member, and Suarez picked up a yellow in the 67th minute after a foul on Santiago Rodriguez.
New York City FC also took a hit due to the physicality of the match. Santiago Rodriguez picked up a yellow and will now miss the upcoming match against the New York Red Bulls. The midfielder will miss a key match, but his absence might be covered, given that Andres Perea and Hanes Wolf could step in if needed. Julian Fernandez and Agustin Ojeda could also be options if necessary.
Inter Miami CF aimed to make a late push to win the match. The all-time leading goal scorer was brought in from the bench to turn things around. It’s safe to say that he made an instant impact. It only took him 3 minutes to find the back of the net. Messi found enough space in midfield to pick out the key pass to Jordi Alba for the goal-scoring assist. He now has 31 goals across all competitions at club level. If you ask me, it should be enough to give him a few chances with the Ecuadorian National team.
In the final minutes of the match, each team was trying to control the midfield. Having Messi neutralized was enough to push New York forward and aim for the draw. The substitutions played their part and kept the intensity leveled despite the changes. In a movie-like scenario, Julian Fernandez forced a last-minute corner kick for the Boys in Blue. Santiago Rodriguez placed the ball in the corner spot and, in dramatic fashion, took the corner kick to find James Sands up in mid-air. He had enough strength behind the header shot to guide the ball into the back of the net.
New York City FC’s very own homegrown talent became the hero in the Bronx and stole Miami’s win in the last play of the game. It was the perfect ending to a memorable match. The team managed to steal points from the conference leaders and bounced back from a negative result. In general lines one can say that the objective was achieved.
Yankee Stadium once again became the fortress for New York City FC. In what could be described as a collective effort, both the teams and the fans came together to stop the Inter Miami fever from taking over New York. Having 44,738 people tuning out, Messi chant attempts in the stands to literally erase him from the field. It’s something that only very few teams have managed to achieve. If things pan out correctly, this game should be the turning point for the team from here on out.
The team now looks ahead to the Hudson River Derby with the 4th place in the east in play. While both squads will have noticeable absences, it’s a match that either team wants to lose. Can the Red Bulls pinpoint New York City’s weaknesses? or does New York City carry on the momentum after successfully stopping Messi and Inter Miami?