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Inter Miami CF vs LAFC
March 12, 2022- The Herons were back at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale ready to respond after last weeks five-goal defeat to Austin. La rosanegra welcomed LAFC which was the second all-time meeting between the clubs and the first for the California side visiting South Florida. The two first met for Miami's inaugural match in 2020 at Banc of California Stadium which resulted in a 1-0 victory for the black and gold.
Because of the way the season has started for Miami, many were afraid of one man and one man only and that is Carlos Vela. The Mexican international has been a force to deal with in the MLS since his arrival. Vela scored a hat trick on the opening day of the 2022 season vs the Colorado Rapids.
Vela was nearly shut down due to aggressive Miami defense which saw Damion Lowe return from injury. The South Florida controlled majority of possession in the first half but no real chances were created. The ball for the most part had to be played on the ground due to the 25mph wind gusts in FTL. Kwado Opuku opened the scoring for Los Angeles off of a deflected through ball right before halftime making it 1-0. Same story as last season when an opponent scored first it sucked the life out of the Miami side.
The biggest moment of the match occurred shortly after Opuku's goal when Brek Shea got a hand full of jersey pulling down LA's Brian Rodriguez that him through on a ball sent in. It was a straight red card that left the Herons playing with 10 men. The mood went from bad to worse at DRV PNK and would impact the squad moving forward in the match.
LAFC would control possession for the majority of the second half leading to a set piece opportunity in the 82nd minute. Tajouri-Shradi would score the free kick giving Los Angeles the 2-0 advantage with a good handful of LA supporters making the trip down. Many fans headed to the exits after the second goal was scored.
Fans left DRV PNK Stadium for yet another somber hour trek back to Dade County upset from everything from parking to the performance of the team. Head coach Phil Neville in his post-game conference challenged his star player Gonzalo Higuain to step up and score more goals as he has yet to get his name on the scoresheet in 2022. Higuain was subbed off due to lack of energy which left many fans upset. Neville challenged Jean Mota and captain Gregore to step up and play with the same amount of energy Mo Adams did. If the fans are frustrated you can only imagine what is going through Phil Neville's mind as he appeared frustrated in the presser just asking for quality play from his quality players.
After a third postponement, Miami city commissioners will vote on Miami Frredom Park on the new date of April 7th. Inter Miami CF will hit the road to face FC Cincinnati in their next match.
Written by- Daniel Torres
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