by If Inter Miami is to move from glamor expansion club to genuine MLS Cup contenders – as the bookies suspect – the catalyst was evident within 10 minutes of the Florida derby against Orlando City.
It wasn’t the magic of Leo Messi that gave the home side a two-nil lead, but two instinctive, clinical finishes from his former Barcelona team-mate, Luis Suárez.
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While Messi continues to deliver glamor and global eyeballs for Inter and MLS – his beauty is attracting raving fans across the country – it may be Suárez who will do the most for the club’s co-owner silverware David Beckham delivered, and this is together expensive. project demands.
The game ended 5–0 – the largest ever margin of victory in this new competition and the biggest in the clubs history – with Suárez scoring two goals, adding two assists, and playing a key role in all five goals. The performance announced Suárez to Inter Miami fans after some criticism early in the season.
“I’m very happy with it [Suárez], that he was able to score. We were still calm, we know what Luis is and what he can do and everyone knows it,” said Messi speaking in Spanish to Apple TV. “It’s like that, when you least expect it, he solves a game for you like he did today, with the goals and the assists.”
Just three minutes after making his second home start in MLS, Suárez swept the ball home first time from Julian Gressel’s pullback for his first goal in Inter Miami pink. After 10 minutes, a neat second gave Suárez the second with the same player, who drilled the ball into the bottom corner after neat footwork to bounce a ball.
After half an hour, Suárez missed the opportunity for a hat-trick, but instead laid the ball out for Robert Taylor to roll into an empty net.
“The third goal shows who he is, where he squares the ball even though it’s a hat trick. That shows what he has for this team,” teammate Gressel said after the game.
That hat-trick goal might have followed just before the break, but the assistant’s flag would intervene after Suarez rounded the keeper to tap home.
In fact, Miami fans – the majority of whom were wearing the Messi 10 and not the Suárez 9 over their shoulders – were given a full Suárez experience during those explosive opening spells.
There were wild and expressive statements with the officials after a couple of strong challenges from Orlando’s agitated backline. That dramatic battle woe was quickly (and suspiciously) swept aside when he gave up life to convert those early chances.
And, of course, the 37-year-old was being escorted off the pitch by team-mates at half-time after an exchange involving that same assistant referee and the Orlando bench. Provided ‘Bad Suárez’ isn’t too strong up front, the first half showed why he could be Inter’s most important signing on the pitch. Because the spirit of the winner is not diminished.
It was a terrible secret, Saurez came off the season from Brazilian club Gremio, where he captained the club to a historic season, scoring 24 goals and providing 17 assists. Gremio narrowly missed out on a first Serie A title since 1996, beating Palmeiras by just two points.
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But its transformative effect was evident, just as it was in Liverpool more than ten years ago. Suárez found the net 31 times in the Premier League as Brendan Rodgers’ reluctant side came close to breaking Liverpool’s epic title drought in 2014; before his successor Jürgen Klopp’s team finally did so in 2020.
In Barcelona, with similar talents around him, Suárez did not need the same talismanic achievements, although Barça fans all learned about them when Suárez spurez delivered the title to Atletico Madrid with 21 goals in 2020/2021.
However, it was the old Nou Camp trio of Suárez, Jordi Alba and Messi who combined to score a fourth goal for Inter early in the second half.
Two Suárez headers with Scotland rising saw Orlando defender Robin Jansson hit the ball against the bar in a desperate attempt to clear the goalkeeper’s shot. Messi scrambled home the rebound. Minutes later Suárez headed Messi unmarked with a left-wing cross for the fifth.
Suárez, who said Inter Miami was his last stop before retiring, was pulled to stand on 67 minutes.
While Messi’s arrival was largely dependent on everything that transformed Inter Miami from MLS to the league’s most can’t-miss team, the final bullets in El Pistolero’s career chamber are likely to be crucial if the club to complete the championship transfer immediately. the team was built to achieve.
“I hope the Miami fans are as happy,” said Suárez, with a highlight after the match.
