A pair of unlikely heroes lead Inter Miami to first season-opening win in club history
A pair of unlikely heroes led Inter Miami to a 2-0 home win over CF Montreal on Saturday night, Miami’s first season-opening win in the club’s four-year history.
The scene at DRV PNK Stadium could not have been more different than what center back Serhiy Kryvtsov left behind in Ukraine: a balmy 75 degrees at kickoff, a near-sellout crowd of 17,655 pink-clad fans chanting in Spanish, and the smell of churros and masitas de puerco in the air.
Kryvstov left his war-torn country last month for a new start and a safer home for his wife and young children. He made an immediate impact in his new uniform, scoring the first Inter Miami goal of the season in the 41st minute by pushing in the ball from a scrum in front of the goal off a Jean Mota corner kick after a flick by Gregore.
Ukrainian flags waved from the stands as his new teammates swarmed him with congratulatory hugs and high-fives.
“I couldn’t even dream of a day like today,” Kryvtsov said. “I bought 20 tickets for the Ukrainian community and I was really happy they were at the stadium. I forgot how it was to play with fans because the situation in Ukraine we can’t play with fans, so today was beautiful atmosphere.”
The second goal was also scored by a newcomer, North Lauderdale native Shanyder Borgelin, a 6-4 forward who is the team’s first Haitian-American. The 21-year-old, a former reserve team player who signed with the first team last week, scored in the 76th minute after he got his own rebound and put it away.
The play began by a shot off the right post by Ariel Lassiter, the rebound went to Borgelin, whose shot was saved on the line, but it bounced back to him and he made good with his second shot.
Borgelin said he got teary eyed and thought of his father, North Lauderdale mayor Samson Borgelin, who could not be at the game because he was attending another event. Borgelin’s mother got emotional when he signed his contract, and Miami coach Phil Neville reminded him of that when he put him in and after the game.
“I said, `Imagine how proud your Mom’s going to be up in the stands’ and then when he scored I said `If she cried last week, imagine how many tears she’ll have after this game.”
Borgelin said: “It still feels like I’m dreaming right now, I’m so happy to play for my hometown team, in front of my friends and family. Before the game the coaches told me `This is your time to shine.’ I took that and ran with it. I’m glad they believed in me.”
Goalkeeper Drake Callender made six saves, three of them difficult ones, to secure the shutout.
Neville called Callender’s performance “sensational” and Montreal coach Hernan Losada agreed.
“The Miami goalie made an incredible game, I don’t want to take credit away from Inter Miami, but the goalkeeper of Inter Miami was one of the men of the match,” said Losada.
Last season it took Inter Miami six games to get its first win, and Neville has been saying all preseason that it was vital for the team to get off on the right foot.
He got his wish.
“This franchise has never won the first game of the season, so we overcame a psychological barrier that gives us all a boost,” Neville said. “The supporters and atmosphere were really special. There’s a different feeling around the club, this is a continuation of the journey we began last season.”
The evening began with bad news for Inter Miami fans. An hour before the game the team announced that starting forward Leo Campana was out with a left calf strain he sustained late in the week. Neville said he will undergo more testing on Sunday.
“It’s minor, but with Leo’s history, we want to be really cautious,” Neville said. “We were all a little bit frustrated because we planned the whole game plan around Leo and Josef (Martinez) playing. We hope he comes back quickly. He’s a big player for us and if we’re going to be successful, Leo has to play.”
Coco Jean started in his place alongside Venezuelan striker Martinez, the former Atlanta United star and 2018 MLS MVP, making his Inter Miami debut after signing with the team last month.
Neville said the midfielders need to look for Martinez a little more, but he is still working his way into peak form, and Neville expects the combinations in the final third will get crisper once Martinez is fully fit and meshing with his new teammates. Martinez played for 68 minutes in his debut.
In addition to Martinez, the other new players in the starting lineup were Kryvtsov, Argentine left back Franco Negri, Argentine midfielder Nico Stefanelli, and Mexican midfielder Rodolfo Pizarro, back with Miami after spending last season on loan in the Mexican league.
Pizarro returned with a lot of positive energy on and off the field. “We told Rodolfo to go express himself and play with freedom, and you see the boy playing with a smile on his face, taking the ball and I think it was a big step forward for Rodo psychologically,” Neville said.
He was all smiles after the game, too, and said this Inter Miami team is the best of the past four years.
“This is the best team we’ve had, we are all more mature,” Pizarro said. “It was very important that the base of the team stayed, most of us know each other and I think we will have our best season.”
Inter Miami is home again next Saturday against the Philadelphia Union.
This story was originally published February 25, 2023 at 11:29 PM.