In Major League Soccer on Sunday, Inter Miami managed to escape with a 1-1 draw against the Los Angeles Galaxy thanks to a last-minute equalizer scored by Lionel Messi.
The game was dominated by the Galaxy for large periods of time, and Dejan Joveljic gave them the lead in the 75th minute.
However, in the 87th minute, midfielder Mark Delgado was sent off for a second yellow card, meaning the home team finished the game with 10 men.
After that, Messi and Jordi Alba linked up down the left, with the Spaniard putting in a brilliant pull-back into Messi’s path. Messi, at full stretch, found the goal with the outside of his left foot.
With seven starting players over 30, Miami was having trouble keeping up with Galaxy’s tempo. Messi, who had been largely ineffectual throughout the match, had a rare moment of impact.
Alongside Messi in the starting lineup for Miami were Alba, Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets, and other former Barcelona players.
However, 24-year-old Spanish player Riqui Puig, a former Barcelona player, was the most effective player on the pitch, particularly in the first half when the California team had several opportunities.
Puig was controlling the play, confident with the ball and sharp in his passing, but in the thirteenth minute, he had a penalty kick that should have put the home team up.
Drake Callender stopped Puig’s low free kick after Busquets had taken down the vivacious Joseph Paintsil, a recent addition from Genk in Belgium, in the box.
After that, the Miami goalie made some excellent stops to block shots from Paintsil and Puig, and aside from a Messi attempt that was deflected and parried by Galaxy keeper John McCarthy, Miami did not create much.
Messi received minimal space and attention from Busquets and Suarez, who appeared to be playing at a slower pace.
After the break, Miami improved their play and adopted a more offensive position, but McCarthy performed admirably to stop two strong attempts from Gomez and handle a routine long-range shot from Messi.
When Paintsil broke at the faltering Miami back line, Callender parried Puig’s effort, and Delgado squared to Joveljic, who tapped home, the Galaxy finally received their reward.
Following Delgado’s ejection, Alba found Messi, whose initial attempt appeared to be a practice run for the equalizer as it went just wide.
After defeating Real Salt Lake 2-0 in the season opener on Wednesday, Miami has four points.
John Herdman, the former head coach of the Canada national team, started his tenure as Toronto FC’s head coach nicely earlier today with a well-earned 0-0 draw against FC Cincinnati.
Cincinnati earned the Supporters Shield as the team with the greatest regular season record, while Toronto, with just four wins overall, finished lowest among the 29 teams in the Major League Soccer (MLS) competition.
However, there wasn’t much to separate Cincinnati, who lost center-forward Brandon Vazquez to Monterrey of Mexico, from Herdman’s rebuilt Toronto team.
Kevin Long, an Irish defender who joined from Birmingham City, made a terrific debut in the heart of defense, and Deiby Flores, a Honduran debutante, performed admirably as the midfield’s anchor.
The New York Red Bulls, under new German coach Sandro Schwarz, were kept to a goalless draw at Nashville by the woodwork, depriving them of a winning start.
Emil Forsberg, a Swedish midfielder signed from sister club RB Leipzig, made his debut for the former Mainz and Hertha Berlin coach. Forsberg’s long-range shot struck the bar, narrowly missing the net to open the score.
Shortly before, Frankie Amaya hit the woodwork with a beautiful effort from outside the box, but Carlos Coronel, the goalie, saved Tyler Boyd in the closing seconds to give the Red Bulls a point.
