Inter Miami suffers first loss of the season, captain Gregore exits game with injury

After two home wins to start the season, Inter Miami suffered its first loss after being outplayed by New York City on a cold night at Yankee Stadium. The 1-0 result, however, was overshadowed by a potentially serious injury to captain Gregore, who left the game in the 73^rd minute.

The main elements of the first two Inter Miami victories were home field advantage, a consistent starting lineup from Phil Neville, and excellent defense which preserved clean sheets in each game.

While the 2-0 win last weekend against a very talented Philadelphia Union team was an impressive sign of strength in the early season, taking on New York City FC in New York offered a test of a different level.

The hosts entered the game with just one point from two games but were also benefiting from playing at home for the first time and from recent upgrades to their starting lineup with the return of Santiago Rodriguez and James Sands. Over the past two seasons, NYCFC has been among the best teams in the league.

From the very beginning of the game, it became obvious Miami’s defense would be under more pressure than the first two games. In the 25^th minute, NYCFC thought it had the opening goal when former Inter Miami midfielder Matías Pellegrini found the back of the net, but Rodriguez was ruled to have impeded Callender in an offside position.

Eventually, the pressure from NYCFC paid off in the form of an own goal when Miami’s Christopher McVey turned a free kick delivered by Rodriguez into his own net.

Inter Miami certainly had their chances in the first half and typically they came through Josef Martinez. In the 20^th minute, the Venezuelan striker was offside and had a goal called back. Then in the 29^th minute, he had the team’s best chance of the half when he got on the end of a pass from Rodolfo Pizarro, but sent a shot from the middle of the box over the bar.

While the first half of the game was relatively even, the second half tilted heavily in favor of New York City.

“We didn’t play the way I wanted in the second half,” Neville said. “NYCFC got better in the second half. They got more in control in terms of stopping us building but I can’t fault the effort in the players. We are just looking for that little of extra quality in the final third.”

What kept this game close for Miami in the second half was the play of Callender, who made three big saves in the second half. The first from close range on Rodriguez as he moved unimpeded into the box. Then in the 81^st minute with a diving save on a shot from Braian Cufré. The final game in the 89^th on another shot from Rodriguez from close range.

“Towards the second half, we really started to go for it even if that meant being vulnerable to a counterattack,” Calender said. “But that’s just part of the game. I think we had our chances.”

Inter Miami had more possession in this game, but NYCFC had the better of chances, especially in transition. Parks and Sands had very strong games for New York in central midfield and it presented a different challenge than in the first two games. Those two were able to create turnovers and find passing lanes that created multiple opportunities, often forcing Inter Miami into emergency defending.

But the potentially season altering story happened in the 73^rd when Gregore left the game and needed help off the field. Neville said he is still waiting for a diagnosis but the club has reasons to fear that he could miss time. He stressed that losing Gregore could be tough but the team will now be tested on depth and that it is time for the players who have not been starting to make a case for themselves.

“He’s the captain of our team and the heart and soul of our football club,” Neville said. “We’ve picked the same team the last three games so we’ve had 11, 12, 13 players slightly frustrated with the fact we have not rotated,” Neville said. “So now comes a time when those players who have been frustrated have got to go in an deliver to the same level as Gregore or anyone else.”

Next week Miami will have another difficult road test against a Toronto team that is still winless on the season. Playing NYCFC on the road was a tough test, and Neville was pleased with the effort but at the same time, he also realized the team still has a work to do.

“I thought it was a really, really competitive game,” Neville said. “I think about when we played NYCFC at Citi Field in the playoffs, the gap between the two teams was significant. Tonight I thought there were two equal teams.”

“It’s given us a good barometer of where we are at this moment in time but also how much work we have to do,” he added.