New York City FC survive a second have surge from Inter Miami CF to share the points in a 1-1 draw at Chase Stadium on Saturday night. The result is a positive one for City, who needed to a push in the right direction following a loss in Cincinnati and difficulties to get their season going early in the campaign.
Both teams started the game with messy play, leaving opportunities for either side to score, specifically in the counter. Miami found the upper hand after a foul when Julian Gressel put a ball into the box for Luis Suarez who finished the attempt. It was his fifth goal of the season and set Miami on a warpath to double the lead in the first half. Matt Freese, goalkeeper for NYCFC, did his best to keep the onslaught at bay. For their part, City did respond with significant attempts from Santi Rodriguez but lacked the killer effort to equalize the game.
It wasn’t until the 34th minute that first-time started Alonso Martinez found the back of the net to equalize the game. A pass from Keaton Parks played Martinez through who beat Drake Callender for the goal. City surprised Miami who then spent the rest of the half looking to re-establish their fluid play.
City came out in the second half focused on defense thanks to Miami’s aggressive play. Freese again played a strong role in keeping the game level while the offense looked incapable of making any significant attemps. Substitutes Julian Fernandez could do little to change the course of the game. However, Miami was unable to take advantage of their opportunities, forcing both clubs to share points.
While not a perfect result, City did gain a point which is a positive result given their recent run of form. They will return to New York City next week to play against Atlanta United at Citi Field. It may not feel like much of a step forward, however not adding another notch to their loss column is a success that the team can build on in the coming weeks.
STARTING XI:
New York City FC: Freese; Gray, Martins, Tanasijevic (86′ Jones), Ilenic (O’Toole), Parks, Sands, Rodriguez, Martinez (86′ Perea), Bakrar (68′ Fernandez), Wolf
Inter Miami CF: Callender; Weigandt, Sailor, Busquets, Alba, Ruiz, Bright (65′ Aviles), Gomez, Gressel (77′ Casas de Abadal), Suarez, Taylor (77′ Afonso)
SCORING SUMMARY:
14′ (Inter Miami) Luis Suarez (5) assisted by Julian Gressel
34′ (NYCFC) Alonso Martinez (1) assisted by Keaton Parks
DISCIPLINE:
53′ (Inter Miami) Julian Gressel – YELLOW CARD
62′ (Inter Miami) Ryan Sailor – YELLOW CARD
80′ (Inter Miami) Tomas Aviles – YELLOW CARD
88′ (NYCFC) Malachi Jones – YELLOW CARD
90′ (Inter Miami) Luis Suarez – YELLOW CARD