Inter Miami loses 3-1 to Montreal for sixth-place finish, opens MLS playoffs at NYCFC
A steady drizzle and a handful of early defensive lapses dampened the mood of what began as an Inter Miami party at DRV PNK Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
With a playoff spot in its pocket, Inter Miami entered the regular season finale hoping to earn home field advantage for the first round of the postseason next weekend. Instead, Miami gifted CF Montreal two easy goals in the first eight minutes, trailed 3-0 by halftime and lost 3-1.
Miami dropped from fifth place to sixth in the Eastern Conference and will open the MLS playoffs on the road Monday Oct. 17 against New York City FC (7 p.m., FS1, Fox Deportes). The game will be played at Red Bull Arena rather than NYCFC’s home field Yankee Stadium because the Yankees are in the MLB playoffs and the stadium will be unavailable.
Coach Phil Neville said his biggest fear after Wednesday’s 4-1 playoff-clinching win over Orlando was that there would be “an emotional dropoff.” And though he didn’t sense it at training the past few days or during warmups, it was clear the team came out flat against Montreal.
“Those first two goals were disastrous for us,” Neville said. “That killed the atmosphere in the stadium and in the team. I told them after the game that I’m incredibly proud that the goal we scored in the second half got us into sixth position. We lost the game pretty convincingly, but we won the second half.”
Inter Miami’s lone goal came on an own-goal by Montreal’s Joel Waterman in the 85th minute after he mis-cleared a cross by Miami right back Harvey Neville, the coach’s son, who came in as a late sub in his MLS debut.
The afternoon began with a pre-game tribute to forward Gonzalo Higuain, who is retiring after this season. The 34-year-old Argentine has been on a tear of late with 14 goals in the past 16 games. Team co-owners Jorge and Jose Mas and sporting director Chris Henderson presented Higuain a framed No. 10 jersey autographed by his teammates.
“Gon-za-lo!” shouted the stadium announcer, and the crowd responded with “Hi-gua-in!”
Higuain had scored in the previous five consecutive games, but he was unable to find the back of the net on Sunday. He left the game in the 59th minute after injuring his elbow. Asked if Higuain is ok and whether he will play next weekend, Neville said: “He has to, he’s our only center forward. No way we’re going to keep that guy out next game, even with one arm.”
The north stands of the stadium were rocking at the opening whistle as “La Familia” fans unfurled giant banners and pink smoke enveloped the field.
But the festive mood changed in the fifth minute when a rare blunder by Miami goalkeeper Drake Callender opened the door for Djordje Mihailovic to give Montreal an early lead. Callender received a back pass from Damion Lowe and under pressure lost possession of the ball in the six-yard box.
Three minutes later, another nightmare for Miami’s back line. Mihailovic got behind the Miami defenders and sent a low cross to Lassi Lappalainen, who tapped it in to make it 2-0.
“We gave up two goals in the first 10 minutes it crushed us and it was so hard to get back into the game,” said center back Aime Mabika. “After Wednesday such a good vibe and so emotional, and this was another chance for a celebration. Those two early goals shocked the crowd and the team.”
Ariel Lassiter had a couple of scoring chances for Miami but was unable to finish. Then, in the 36th minute, Montreal struck again. Thirty-eight-year-old Kei Kamara got past Lowe, found himself one-on-one with Callender and slotted the ball to the far post.
Seeing their team trailing 3-0 so early, some Miami fans began to boo.
“On the eve of Halloween, all the goblins and gremlins have come to haunt Phil Neville’s men,” said Inter Miami T.V. announcer Ray Hudson.
Neville said leading into the game that his challenge was to keep his players grounded after their win Wednesday.
“If anyone thinks they have their party hats on, they won’t be playing on Sunday,” he said.
But it appeared by the team’s lackluster start that some party hats were still on. Miami did not play with the urgency and intensity it has shown during its recent four-game win streak. Neville called it the team’s worst defensive performance since a 4-4 tie with Cincinnati in late-July.
Asked what went wrong on those conceded goals, Neville blamed individual mistakes.
“If you can’t defend 1v1, if you make individual mistakes and let people just waltz past you, you could have 14 people on the pitch and you’re still going to concede goals,” Neville said.
Inter Miami was missing two key starters, playmaker Alejandro Pozuelo (groin) and forward Leo Campana (hamstring). Pozuelo is expected back for the first playoff game and Campana is probable.
Midfielder Robert Taylor said: “If you’re going to have a dip, this is the time to do it. Now we’re going into games where you’re out if you have a dip.”
“Now is when the fun begins,” Neville said. “We’ve been in playoff mode for the past six weeks, so it’s something we should be used to.”
