By Miguel Rapetti
The New York Red Bulls could not get the victory this Saturday in the 25th round of the MLS after losing at home 0-2 against Inter Miami, in the match that was marked by the debut of Lionel Messi officially in the MLS .
The hometown and the defensive fence that New York Red Bulls proposed during the match against Inter Miami were no match for an Inter Miami that, after winning the Leagues Cup and qualifying for the US Open Cup final, kicked off the second half of the season in the MLS.
In a match that also featured a rotation of the regular starters at Inter Miami, it was the Paraguayan Diego Gómez who led Inter Miami to win near the end of the first half.
Although the Red Bulls dominated much of the match both in possession and in shots on goal, Inter Miami’s planted defense knew how to play with the result in their favor to preserve victory.
When it seemed that at any moment the goal of equality for the Red Bulls could fall, the usual one appeared: Lionel Messi.
The Argentinian number 10 jumped from the bench at 65′ and a minute after regulation time expired he commanded an offensive in which the team’s great signings, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets, also participated to put the final 0-2.
In this way, Inter Miami manages to tie its ninth consecutive victory in all competitions and also cuts at once the streak of 10 games without a win in the MLS, which allows it to leave last place in the Conference for the first time in the season. This, which now happened to be occupied by Toronto FC.