First-half red card, missed chances doom Inter Miami in loss to LAFC
It was a sobering end to the first half for Inter Miami.
A ruinous one, too.
After holding possession for the majority of the game to that point with nothing to show for it, a defensive lapse resulted in a 45th-minute goal for LAFC.
The bigger blow came about a minute later, when defender Brek Shea was given a red card that had Inter Miami playing a man down the rest of the game.
“It cost us the game, really,” Inter Miami coach Phil Neville said.
It showed.
Inter Miami had a few chances in the second half to recover but had no success in its eventual 2-0 loss on Saturday at DRV PNK Stadium. Inter Miami is now 0-2-1 and has scored just one goal through its first three games of the season.
“I expected a little more quality from us,” Neville said. “They need to step up.
The coach was “really pleased” through the game’s first 44 minutes despite the game being tied 0-0 at that point. LAFC didn’t get a shot on goal in that stretch and Inter Miami had possession but couldn’t turn ball control into scoring chances.
And then things unraveled.
LAFC (2-0-1) opened scoring in the 45th minute when an Inter Miami defender deflected a pass just outside the box that landed in front of Kwando Opoku.
Opoku dribbled for a couple steps and then fired a left-footed shot that sailed past Clement Diop and into the net.
The deficit was bad, but Shea’s red card impacted the game even more. He was sent off after pulling down LAFC forward Brian Rodriguez shortly before the end of the first half.
Neville disagreed with the decision
“I think my only take on that was I thought the ref was really quick to get the red card out,” Neville said, adding that Shea apologized to the team after the game.
Inter Miami held its composure during the second despite having just 10 players on the pitch and dealing with gusting winds and a brief downpour of rain but couldn’t capitalize on the few scoring chances it had.
LAFC then scored an insurance goal in the 82nd minute when Ismael Tajouri-Shradi’s free kick from the right side curved and landed just inside the left post.
Two shots on goal. Two goals allowed.
And now two of three matches in which Inter Miami fails to pick up at least one point.
“Everybody’s disappointed, which we should be,” defender DeAndre Yedlin said. “We had our fair share of the ball in the first half. An unlucky bounce led to a goal and then a red card, but it happens. I’m proud of the team for fighting with 10 men. It’s not an easy thing to do in those conditions — hot, humid. ... We have to learn from it, and if we learn from it, I’m confident that we can continue to get better.”
How do they get better? Offensively, it starts with finding ways to finish in the final third. To Neville, that requires the team’s veteran players — Gonzalo Higuain in particular — to step up.
Inter Miami’s two shots on goal came in the 40th and 52nd minute. First it was Jean Mota with a top-shelf kick that LAFC goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau tipped over the net. Robert Taylor, making his first start of the season, then had his early second-half shot attempt stopped.
“You want the best players to step up and show the most composure,” Neville said. “Show the most composure and produce quality. On set plays, deliver the ball into the right areas. Deliver the ball to the right areas like we work on. Final passes. Final movements. Final shots. Deliver. ... Attackers get paid the most for a reason because that’s the hardest thing to do. Composure on the ball, support, courage bravery.”
Inter Miami next plays on March 18 at FC Cincinnati.
This story was originally published March 12, 2022 at 4:57 PM.
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