Inter Miami moves up to sixth place in East with 2-1 win over first-place New England
Perhaps inspired by the victorious Miami Heat and Florida Panthers, Inter Miami came out blazing against the first-place New England Revolution on Saturday night, and survived a roller coaster of a game to win 2-1.
The jubilant Miami players ran toward the stands to celebrate with the near-sellout crowd of 17,349, as the diehard “La Familia” fans set off pink smoke bombs and danced to the Farruka song “Pepas,” which has become an anthem for winning South Florida teams in all sports.
Teenager David Ruiz, a Little Havana native who was recently promoted to the first team, scored the first goal of his MLS career in the sixth minute, provided the assist for Josef Martinez’s goal and was sent off in the 81st minute for delay of game, leaving Miami to finish the night with 10 men for the second game in a row.
Miami played the final nine minutes of regulation and seven minutes of added time down a man. The men in pink clamped down on defense to hang on to their slim lead, and goalkeeper Drake Callender made a huge save in the waning moments.
With the win, Inter Miami moved up from 10th to sixth place in the Eastern Conference. It was the third consecutive league victory for Inter Miami after a six-game losing streak and the fifth win in a row counting the two U.S. Open Cup victories.
“Brilliant game,” said Inter Miami coach Phil Neville. “The spirit and fight the boys are showing is really good. I am proud of every single one of them. We’ve invested in the strikers and they’re now delivering. When they score, we win. They’re beginning to show signs that they’re coming together as a partnership. It’s not perfect, by no stretch, but we are getting perfect results, and that’s the most important thing coming off 0-and-6. We’ve responded against all adversity.”
Miami won without suspended starter Franco Negri, and injured starters Rodolfo Pizarro and Sergiy Kryvstov. Team captain Gregore and midfielder Jean Mota are out for several months after surgeries.
Miami struck first Saturday night when Ruiz launched a long distance left-footed shot from outside the box into the bottom left corner in the sixth minute. The assist came from Leo Campana, and the sequence began with Key Biscayne teenager Benja Cremaschi settling the ball with his chest and sending it to Campana.
Ruiz, 19, is the first Inter Miami youth academy product to score an MLS goal. He was thrown into first team duty due to injuries to starters Gregore and Jean Mota and is headed to Argentina on Sunday to represent Honduras in the U20 World Cup.
“He was fast-tracked because of the need, and the games he has played have been really sensational,” Neville said. “He’s a kid who plays without fear. He’s still raw, rough around the edges, but it’s infectious what he brings. He’s got a long way to go, but he’s announced himself and looks like he’s going to be a real big player for us.”
Ruiz said of his big night: “It was an unbelievable match. First goal. First assist. First red card. It was an amazing experience and I’m grateful for my teammates and coaching staff that supported me through this journey and the fans, my parents, and friends.”
The Revolution appeared to even the score in the 17th minute when another teenager, 18-year-old Noel Buck, got around Cremaschi and scored on a curler but the goal was disallowed by VAR, which ruled that an off-side New England player obstructed Miami goalkeeper Drake Callender.
Miami breathed a sigh of relief, but New England captain Carles Gil scored the equalizer in the 26th minute. Gil, the former MLS MVP, hit a right-footed shot from the center of the box to the bottom right corner.
“I said before the game if we stopped Gil we’d stop New England and we tried, but he’s that good a player,” Neville said.
Inter Miami re-gained the lead 18 minutes later with a goal by Martinez, his third goal in the past two games after going scoreless his first seven games since joining the club. Ruiz made a gutsy play for the assist, making a slide tackle to gain possession of the ball and slipping it to Martinez, who was waiting at close range.
Miami held a 2-1 lead at halftime.
Martinez, who got a yellow card in the closing minute of the half, was replaced in the 60th minute by Nico Stefanelli.
Ruiz’s ejection was for holding the ball after being fouled, which Neville called “a ridulous decision” by the referee. Miami dug its heels and managed to hang on for the win.
The Revolution, which entered the night on an eight-game win streak, failed to finish a handful of late scoring chances. One of the best chances came in the final minute, but Callender made a heads-up save with his knee.
New England coach Bruce Arena did not mince words after the game.
“I think the way we started that game was disgraceful,” he said. “To fall behind by a goal in the first seven minutes of the game and the way some of our guys stepped on the field to start that game was poor. Ultimately, it cost us the game. Second half, we had to be a little clear technically to create some better chances. They were very physical, obviously came after our players pretty hard. They played real hard, you can’t question that. So,I believe it’s a game we gave away. We should not lose that game.”
Arena also disputed the officials’ decision to nullify the Revolution’s first goal.
“The goal that they called back was a good goal, that’s not interfering with the goalkeeper,” he said. “It’s amazing to me that they would call that goal back. I don’t know what the VAR was thinking.”
Miami (5-6-0) is on the road Wednesday against Nashville and returns home Saturday against in-state rival Orlando City.
