Inter Miami continued to defy skeptics, securing their fourth consecutive victory without the star power of Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez. The win was hard-fought, with Key Biscayne’s own Benjamin Cremaschi delivering a spectacular diving left-footed shot in the 86th minute, clinching a 2-1 victory over a tenacious Charlotte FC on Wednesday night. Julian Gressel, receiving a pass from Sergio Busquets, provided the assist with a precise cross during a rapid counterattack. This triumph keeps Miami at the top of the Eastern Conference with 47 points, preserving their eight-game unbeaten streak on the road. The team now prepares for a pivotal match against the second-place FC Cincinnati on Saturday. FC Cincinnati is hot on Miami’s heels, trailing by a mere two points. Inter Miami faces the challenge without Messi and Suarez, who are representing their countries in the Copa America, and also without Jordi Alba and Diego Gomez, both suspended due to an accumulation of yellow cards. Gomez received his caution in the 53rd minute of the last game, while Alba was booked in the third minute of stoppage time for a foul on Ashley Westwood.
Miami coach Tata Martino expressed after the match that Gomez’s card was justified, but not Alba’s. Regarding his team’s performance on Wednesday and their four-game winning streak without key scorers, Martino remarked, “In the last few games, our team has shown consistency, seriousness, and diligence. We’ve been solid in defense, dynamic in attack, and precise in our execution. It was a difficult game with considerable external pressure, making this win extremely valuable.” He was especially pleased with the midfielders for their effective ball circulation, smooth transitions, gap management which had been an issue earlier in the season, and their pinpoint passing accuracy. Martino described the two goals as “beautiful,” crediting the strategic use of the field’s width and the successful targeting of attackers inside.
Robert Taylor netted Miami’s opening goal in the 30th minute on Wednesday night. The Finn capitalized on a precise pass from Alba, firing a right-footed shot into the bottom right corner, beyond Charlotte’s goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina’s reach. The hosts leveled the score 11 minutes later as the swift Patrick Agyemang dashed beyond Miami’s defense, confronted goalkeeper Drake Callender one-on-one, and scored. Agyemang had been troubling Inter Miami since the start, with Callender saving two of his earlier attempts. Fede Redondo, Miami’s midfielder recently named to Argentina’s Olympic team as a reserve, was excluded from Wednesday’s lineup due to leg tightness after their 2-1 victory over Nashville. This was a precautionary measure, considering Redondo had just returned from a three-month injury hiatus, playing the full 90 minutes.
“Fede finished the Nashville game a little exhausted,” Martino said. “It made sense because it had been a long time since he completed a game. We initially planned to have him on the bench against Charlotte because it would have been risky to have him play three games in a week, but because he was so fatigued we decided not to have him on the bench because in a game like this we probably would have used him and that would have been a mistake.” Martino said he hopes Redondo will return to practice on Thursday and be available on Saturday for the Cincinnati game. The coach was asked whether Redondo will travel with Argentina’s Olympic team as a reserve player, and he said he would travel only if one of the 18 players on the roster cannot play and they call him up to fill in. The coach also said the team has been in contact with the Argentine kinesiologist about Messi’s groin injury, as Inter Miami uses the same kinesiologist. Messi sat out the Peru game but practiced the past few days and is expected to be available for Argentina’s quarterfinal against Ecuador in Houston on Thursday night.
