Inter Miami kicked off its season with an exciting friendly match against America from Mexico, a match that generated great expectations both on the field and in the MLS transfer window.
The league’s teams that are strengthening themselves stand out, such as Orlando City, which has opted for young talents, and San Diego FC, which seeks to be the surprise of the championship in 2025.
In the match, Inter Miami showed a great performance, facing one of the best clubs in Liga MX in a duel that marked Javier Mascherano’s debut as a coach.
Lionel Messi’s scoring debut in Inter Miami vs America’s penalty shootout victory
Inter Miami had a fabulous friendly against America, where the match ended 2-2, defined by penalty kicks with victory for Lionel Messi’s team.
The match started with intensity, with America taking the lead thanks to a goal by Henry Martín. However, Inter Miami responded quickly with Lionel Messi’s first goal, assisted by Luis Suarez, tying the match 1-1.
The two stars, known for their success in Europe, continued to shine in this new setting.
In the second half, Mascherano made strategic changes, taking off Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez to bring in other players. America went ahead again with a goal by Israel Reyes, but Inter Miami did not give up.
Thomas Avilés equalised in the last minute for Inter Miami, with a thrilling penalty shoot-out finale, the result of which is not shown on SofaScore.
A heart-stopping finale from the penalty spot
Without the big names of Inter Miami on the field, they faced the penalties in great form looking for the victory.
For Inter Miami, Federico Redondo, Julian Gressel and Marcelo Weigandt all missed and David Martinez, David Ruiz and Santiago Morales scored.
For America, Victor Avila, Alan Cervantes, Richard Sanchez and Ramon Juarez missed, and only Javairo Dilrosun and Cristian Calderon scored.
Both teams missed several shots, but Inter Miami ended up winning 3-2 in the penalty shootout, thus ensuring Mascherano’s first win in his debut as a coach.
