Leo Campana strikes again to lead Inter Miami to 1-0 U.S. Open Cup win over Miami FC
Eight years after David Beckham promised Miami an MLS team, Inter Miami finally played – and won -- its first game in Dade County on Tuesday night. But his team was the visitor, traveling south to face USL club Miami FC in a spirited, hard-fought third round U.S. Open Cup match.
The scene at FIU Stadium during Inter Miami’s 1-0 victory was everything you would expect from a Miami derby. A Miami FC club record crowd of 11,154 showed up to see the showdown between the MLS and USL teams.
Among the songs playing during warmups was Will Smith’s “Welcome to Miami,” perhaps a lighthearted dig at Inter Miami, which is playing its games in deep Fort Lauderdale at DRV PNK Stadium while the Miami Freedom Park stadium saga drags on.
Both teams and their fans were decked in bright colors – Inter Miami in pink and Miami FC in turquoise and orange. And the Supporters’ groups, Inter Miami’s “La Familia” and Miami FC’s “Dade Brigade”, banged their drums all game long and chanted bilingual songs in opposing endzones.
Underdog Miami FC, eager to prove it could match up against an MLS squad, was the aggressor much of the night. But Ecuadorean forward Leo Campana scored the game-winner for Inter Miami in the 83rd minute on a powerful finish inside the box after it deflected off a Miami FC defender. It was Campana’s fifth goal across all competitions this season and his fourth in the past three games.
“We have a center forward now who wants to play every minute of every game, that wants to score, who looks the real deal,” Neville said of Campana, who has shined in place of injured Gonzalo Higuain. Neville added that the 21-year-old drives an hour and a half to practice and is always the first to arrive and the last to leave. He said Campana will start again Sunday against Atlanta United. “It’s his time.”
It was the first time the neighboring clubs played each other in an official game and Inter Miami’s first appearance in the Open Cup after the 2020 and 2021 editions were canceled due to COVID.
The U.S. Open Cup is a 103-year-old single-elimination knockout tournament (third oldest in the world) that includes teams ranging from amateur clubs to MLS. It is the American version of England’s historic FA Cup.
“This felt like the third round of the FA Cup,” Neville said, praising the atmosphere at FIU Stadium. “It was like an old-fashioned English stadium with everyone on top of you and a bubby atmosphere. It was nice for Miami. There’s a brilliant thirst for football here, both where we are in Fort Lauderdale and down here in Miami. This needs to be more regular. With Anthony (Pulis) at the helm, Miami FC has a brilliant chance to keep progressing because he’s an outstanding coach.”
Miami FC has a history of knocking out MLS clubs. In 2017, Miami FC reached the Cup quarterfinals after eliminating MLS teams Orlando City and Atlanta United. And they controlled the game for more than 60 minutes on Tuesday and had two great scoring chances by Kyle Murphy and Florian Valot that were saved by Inter Miami keeper Drake Callender, who started in place of Nick Marsman.
“This is one of the proudest I have felt as an Inter Miami manager,” Neville said after the win. “Anthony (Pulis’) team was phenomenal and put us under so much pressure. They gave us a scare. Tonight was not about the football or tactics, it was about winning headers, making recovery runs, about grinding out a win.”
Inter Miami was coming off back-to-back wins over reigning MLS Supporters Shield winners New England Revolution and CONCACAF Champions League Final-bound Seattle Sounders. Miami arrived home from Seattle late Sunday afternoon and Neville chose to start only five starters from that game against Miami FC – Campana, Damion Lowe, Aime Mabika, Robert Taylor and Gregore.
He rested six starters and brought five of them back in -- DeAndre Yedlin, Jean Mota, Ari Lassiter, Christopher McVey, and Robbie Robinson late in the game to add fresh legs and quality.
“We had a lot of tired bodies, but we have a lot of players who want to play and impact, and we saw that,” Neville said. “The first half we were still on the plane from Seattle. We were slow, a yard off everything, but that was to be expected. Our new guys who came in were phenomenal. We brought the big guns on in the second half, and we controlled the play, but they kept going and going.”
Callender added: “They have a lot of good players who tested our team, and it came down to one goal…It was a great atmosphere, and it goes to show the love of football in South Florida. It was nice to see the supporters from both sides.”
Miami FC’s first-year coach Pulis was Neville’s assistant at Inter Miami last season, and though they remain friends, it didn’t take the sting off the loss. His team had six shots to Inter Miami’s two in the first half and the home team dominated possession for about 60 minutes.
“I’m extremely proud of our players,” Pulis said. “We controlled the game. We had them on the ropes and let them off. That’s the bit that makes me sick to my stomach a little bit. We had them. With them making the subs at the end, that changed the game. I’m sure they feel like they got away with that one.
“Our guys have shown they can handle playing against players at a high level. It was a great occasion. Hopefully the South Florida community can be proud of what was a really good game between two professional sides.”
Miami FC forward Joshua Perez echoed his coach.
“For 60 or 65 minutes we had them under pressure, and it was a very tight match, but we didn’t finish our chances,” he said. “I think they got a little lucky, but that’s soccer. It was great to see 12,000 fans out there, a record crowd, that was very significant for us. We demonstrated that as an USL club we are capable of matching an MLS team and that a lot of our players can be playing at that level.”
Inter Miami moves on to the Round of 32 of the U.S. Open Cup.