After 15 minutes Saturday night, you would have thought Inter Miami CF and Atlanta United FC were in for a blazing shootout. Some 75 minutes later, it was a scratch-and-claw victory for the Herons, hanging on for a 2-1 victory and three more points from the Peach State.
Four days after a scoreless draw against Atlanta United, Inter Miami CF again went 90 minutes without conceding or scoring a goal.
Nashville SC traveled to Inter Miami CF Stadium and withstood a hearty effort from the Herons, including two must-make opportunities for Julian Carranza and Rodolfo Pizarro.
Tonight’s Inter Miami CF match against Atlanta United FC at Inter Miami CF Stadium in Fort Lauderdale has been postponed in response to player protests sweeping the country.
The postponement was the first in Major League Soccer. A match between Nashville SC and Orlando City SC scheduled for 7:30 p.m. kicked off as scheduled. The Inter match was scheduled for an 8 p.m. kickoff.
Tonight’s #InterMiamiCF game vs. @ATLUTD has been postponed.
— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) August 27, 2020
“Black Players for Change asked us not to play, and I think at that point we respect them and we have to respect why we wear these [Black Lives Matter] shirts,” Inter Miami CF defender A.J. DeLaGarza told Inter Miami CF’s Kaylyn Kyle on the team’s broadcast after the match. “And that’s to make a change and to have our voices heard.”
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) August 26, 2020
The announcement was just the latest in a turbulent day in the world of sports, kicked off by the Milwaukee Bucks’ wildcat strike of its NBA Playoffs game against the Orlando Magic, originally scheduled for 4 p.m. The Bucks’ move was prompted by the shooting of Jacob Blake by Kenosha, Wis. police officer Rusten Sheskey in the back seven times.
“Athletes have a huge platform, and we have to use that right now,” DeLaGarza said.
AJ DeLaGarza on tonight’s CBS My33 broadcast:
“We have to respect them and we have to respect why we wear these shirts, and that’s to make a change…
“I think we had to make a very tough decision in front of our coaches minutes before walking out here.”#InterMiamiCF #MLS pic.twitter.com/5eE2KqrIU0
— Franco Panizo (@FrancoPanizo) August 27, 2020
Stay with Magic City Soccer as this story updates.
Inter Miami CF announced Thursday that it had signed French midfielder Blaise Matuidi, last of Juventus. This marks the first significant signing of a high-profile player from Europe for the club.
Perhaps most notably, Inter Miami was able to acquire Matuidi with Targeted Allocation Money. This means that the club retains its third Designated Player spot (the first two used on Rodolfo Pizarro and Matias Pellegrini). The club could go into the market again and sign another high-profile player.
Inter Miami CF announced Thursday that it has established an English-language broadcast partnership with CBS Miami, which shares ownership of WFOR CBS-4 and WBFS My 33.
Due to the postponement of the Inter Miami CF hope opener against the LA Galaxy, and in the interest of promoting social distancing and support for our local community, Magic City Soccer will be providing a full-length, fully commentated Football Manager simulation of the game on Twitch on Saturday night at 7 p.m.
The United Soccer League confirmed Thursday that it would impose a 30-day suspension of games due to COVID-19, referred to commonly as novel coronavirus. This means that The Miami FC’s home opener against the Tampa Bay Rowdies, scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Friday night at Riccardo Silva Stadium, will not go forward as planned.
Stay with Magic City Soccer as this story develops.
Major League Soccer confirmed Thursday morning that it would be postponing its season for a minimum of 30 days due to COVID-19, referred to commonly as novel coronavirus. This affects all MLS teams, including Inter Miami CF and its scheduled home opener on Saturday.
“We’ve made a decision as a league, this morning, as owners, that play will be suspended temporarily. Target on that is 30 days.” managing owner Jorge Mas told the assembled press this afternoon. “We are working, and the league is working on rescheduling the games. We fully anticipate that we will play all of our 34 games.”
“We want to protect our players, and protect our fans, as much as possible.”
Stay with Magic City Soccer as this story develops.
For 50 minutes Saturday, Inter Miami CF seemed poised to claim its first Major League Soccer victory. An early Rodolfo Pizarro goal, the first in the club’s history, was the cap of an early offensive blitz and reflected the dominance we would see from the team in the first half.
But one moment proved to be a harbinger of doom for the RosaNegra, taking them from 2-0 up to down 2-1 and a man within 10 minutes.
The wait for an inaugural point continues. Inter Miami fell at the hands of DC United Saturday, 2-1.
The debut of Inter Miami CF in Major League Soccer was more than six years in the making. Any actual result, win lose or draw, would have surely been a delight for the Miami faithful.
But when Lee Nguyen stood over a 96th-minute free kick, then followed up with a shot on goal moments later, those fans had to be dreaming of a point.
The excitement, the exhilaration and the possibility was all there for Inter Miami CF on Sunday night. The only thing missing was a goal.
Los Angeles FC, spearheaded by a solid defensive performance and led by a moment of brilliance from Carlos Vela, defeated Inter Miami 1-0 to give the RosaNegra an ignoble welcome to MLS.