The more things change, the more they stay the same for Inter Miami with Lionel Messi powering the Herons past Atlas with a 2-1 victory to kick off Leagues Cup on Wednesday night. New signing Rodrigo De Paul may have made his debut for Miami before even having a proper training session with the club, but it was Messi and Telasco Segovia who stole the show at Chase Field on Wednesday night.
After struggling to break down Atlas’ defense in the first half, the Herons finally broke through in the second half. Secondary assists may not exist in the Leagues Cup, but Sergio Busquets‘ pass to set up Messi to play the ball across the face of goal for Segovia to score certainly deserved one, but it’s Messi’s assist to Marcelo Weigant deep into added time that created all the buzz, delivering a quick ball across the face of goal after some lovely build up.
Atlas thought that they were going to push the match to penalties after equalizing in the 80th minute by taking advantage of Miami’s defense, but the Herons had other ideas on the night. De Paul went 90 minutes, showcasing his versatility during the match, but it was also a quiet one for him. That wouldn’t matter, though, with Miami picking up the victory in wild fashion.
Stakes are high in the Leagues Cup with only four of the 18 MLS teams involved advancing to the knockout stages, and that showed with Miami making sure to play until the final whistle in order to secure the result. They already had pressure to win the tournament, but the addition of De Paul only adds to that, as talent-wise, this is one of the most stacked starting XIs in Major League Soccer.
While Miami’s attack did its job in the match, the defense again was an issue, and with goalkeeper Oscar Ustari sidelined, that could continue to be the case for the foreseeable future. The Herons need to get as much out of the attack as possible, and that’s where De Paul’s versatility helps. Starting the match in the middle next to Busquets, when Fede Redondo was slotted in during the second half, De Paul went out to the wing and continued the game there, helping drive play forward.
In a salary cap league like MLS, versatility is critical, and Miami’s midfield can perform in many different roles, which will help down the stretch. Coach Javier Mascherano will want the team to keep more clean sheets moving forward, but with De Paul getting more training sessions under his belt, they’ll have plenty of chances to do just that. For now, the goal is to win even if it means winning ugly because knockout tournaments are about surviving and advancing. As long as Miami are in a game when things are coming to a close, Messi will give them a chance to win it, and Wednesday was another example of that.
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