In Major League Soccer on Saturday, Inter Miami was kept to a 1-1 tie against New York City FC, thanks to a goal from Luis Suarez, his fifth of the year.
At Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, former Barcelona and Liverpool player Suarez gave Miami the lead in the fifteenth minute with a quick flick of a free kick from Julian Gressel.
Alonso Martinez, a Costa Rican international, equalized the score on minute 34, but a tenacious New York effort prevented Miami from taking all three points.
Miami, who was destroyed 4-0 by the New York Red Bulls in their previous game, had a number of good opportunities following the City score, but goalkeeper Matthew Freese’s outstanding play kept them from taking advantage of them.
Freese pulled off several fine saves, including a brilliant one-handed block from Suarez in the 80th minute as Miami pressed for an equaliser.
Miami, once again without the injured Lionel Messi, remained in second place in the Eastern Conference following the draw, one point behind leaders Cincinnati.
Miami coach Gerardo Martino who had lambasted his team after last week’s drubbing by the New York Red Bulls praised his side’s performance.
“In nine months here, I’ve never been disappointed in a game like I was last Saturday,” Martino said. “Today, what the team did was very commendable. They played well and created many scoring chances.”
While Miami gets ready for Wednesday’s CONCACAF Champions Cup quarterfinal first leg matchup with Mexican team Monterrey, Martino stated that Messi’s fitness was still being assessed. Messi hasn’t participated in any games since he hurt his hamstring two weeks ago.
“We will evaluate it day by day and make a decision on Tuesday,” Martino said. “Wednesday’s game is very important but we have to think about the entire year, not just one game.”
