Visiting D.C. United at Audi Field Saturday afternoon, Inter Miami CF looked a lot like the best version of Inter Miami, the one so many observers expected to see achieve big things in MLS and beyond this season.
Notably, they did so without one Lionel Andrés Messi in uniform. And while Luis Suárez’s super-sub cameo hogged the headlines, understandably, thanks to his MLS Player of the Matchday performance in the 3-1 road win, that result wouldn’t have happened without the labor of the Herons’ youngbloods.
Tata Martino started a whopping FIVE (5) YPPOTW-eligible players in his XI, which is something to remember next time you hear someone crack a joke about IMCF's veterans. We’ll start with the one who joined Suárez on the Team of the Matchday presented by Audi.
Amid so much talk of “the Messi effect” since the GOAT’s arrival last summer, here’s another one to consider. Messi’s star power is such that it can even overshadow the significance of Miami’s other acquisitions, like Redondo, the 21-year-old central midfielder who joined up from Argentinos Juniors in late February.
This is a blue-chip Argentine prospect, the son of footballing royalty and a more complete player than most his age across the league, so we feel safe in saying his recruitment is still a bit slept-on by the wider audience. Redondo has duly caught up to speed quite quickly at his new club, forming a sturdy partnership with Sergio Busquets in the center of the park, and the duo were critical in IMCF coming to grips with the challenges posed by D.C.’s press as the visitors gradually asserted themselves in the US capital city.
Redondo roamed forward to unsettle the United defense and notch his first MLS goal contribution on Miami’s equalizer, assisting Leo Campana, one of his three key passes on the day. He completed 37/43 passes (86%) overall, made seven recoveries, and won 7/9 ground duels and 3/3 tackles.
Perhaps no one needed a win as badly as New York City FC on this matchday, considering the sizeable gap between the expectations they carried into the season and their 0W-3L-0D start, wherein they scored just one goal.
Things got worse before they got better at Yankee Stadium on Saturday when Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty (more on him later) zoomed into the Pigeons’ penalty box to snatch an early lead for Toronto FC. But Fernández was one of the Cityzens who stepped up to the challenge.
The Argentine attacker exerted his influence on the match with seven recoveries, several defensive actions, two fouls and 19/20 passes completed, three of them key passes, the most important of which was an absolutely gorgeous left-footed trivela delivery to the head of Kevin O'Toole for the game-winner:
That outrageous piece of skill is his first assist in MLS action, and perhaps a sign of sunnier days to come for NYCFC.
Raheem Edwards’ ejection from Saturday’s Chicago-Montréal match for throwing an elbow at Georgios Koutsias was the first domino that set in motion the Fire’s dramatic comeback from 3-1 down to delirious 4-3 winners at Soldier Field. It also awarded a penalty kick to the Men in Red. And who among them was trusted to dispatch that vital PK, which set the stage for the wind-aided injury-time insanity to come?
Was it World Cup veteran Xherdan Shaqiri (nope, by then he’d already been substituted)? Perhaps his fellow Designated Player Hugo Cuypers, the striker who commanded a club-record transfer fee when he arrived over the winter?
Negative.
It was Guti who stepped up to the spot, and despite a lengthy delay as officials checked the decision and that howling Lake Michigan breeze quite literally blew the ball out of position, the 20-year-old homegrown kept his nerve and slotted home an ice-cold finish for his second goal of the campaign. Guti also drew four fouls, played two key passes, waded into more than half a dozen ground duels and won half of them.
Even the most diehard fans would probably admit Philly are treading water right now, nursing a Concacaf Champions Cup hangover and trying to center themselves on the long slog of league play that must now be their focus. And as Armchair Analyst Matt Doyle pointed out in his weekend wrap, it’s the young’uns like McGlynn and Quinn Sullivan who have been pulling more of their weight than the squad’s veterans lately.
While you won’t see McGlynn on the scoresheet of the Union’s 2-2 deadlock down in Austin, the latest of their three league draws out of the gates, much of the underlying data would suggest he was the best player on the pitch at Q2 Stadium.
The 20-year-old center mid completed 41/49 passes (84%), including a game-high five key passes, and also topped the charts with his 6/7 tackles completed and 8/9 duels won. He’s become fundamental to this team’s ambitions of becoming a more nuanced, less predictable attack without losing their hard-nosed essence.
The Paraguayan was one of the top performers at the Conmebol Olympic qualifying tournament, powering his country to an unexpected championship run in Venezuela, and it seems he’s extending that strong form into Miami’s campaign.
Gomez was almost as influential as Redondo in the win over D.C. He got stuck in all over the place, completing 4/6 tackles, and played three key passes, distributing at an 87% clip and assisting Suárez’s second strike.
The latter was an exemplary case of intelligence married with bite, as he caught Mateusz Klich napping with some well-timed pressure that resulted in a turnover and a quick transition, capped by Gomez finding Suárez in the box on a sequence that ended with the Uruguayan’s cheeky chip over Alex Bono to clinch the three points.
Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty: Toronto couldn’t quite keep their undefeated start going in the Bronx, but John Herdman will be happy to see JMR open his 2024 account with an alert run forward, delicate receipt of Alonso Coello’s long ball and calm finish vs. NYCFC.
Julián Aude: The LA Galaxy’s 20-year-old Argentine left back notched his second assist of the season with a crisp pass to YPPOTW alum Dejan Joveljic for LA’s opening goal in the wild 3-3 draw with St. Louis. He also contributed seven defensive actions and won most of his duels.
Devin Padelford: Congrats are in order not only to Padelford, but to Minnesota United for the milestone represented by his first career MLS start on Saturday, which makes him the first product of the Loons’ academy to start a league game for the club. MNUFC are finally becoming a place where young talent is given a real chance to shine, and that’s welcome news around these parts.
