Inter Miami storm back from two goals down to blast Orlando City

Return completed. Inter Miami fooled us in the first half, trailing Orlando City SC, but in the second half Telasco Segovia shined with two assists and a goal while Lionel Messi did Messi things with a brace and an assist to lead the Herons to their first win of the season in a 4-2 triumph over Orlando City SC on Sunday night. It may have taken the Herons a while to take control, but after a slow start they scored four unanswered goals to take all three points.

In the first half, frustration was visible on the faces of Miami players, like Rodrigo De Paul, as Inter Miami led 2-0. Orlando City SC was able to take the lead thanks to goals from their key men, Marco Pasalic and Martin Ojeda. Orlando has been one of Miami’s toughest opponents during Messi’s era in Major League Soccer, with Miami winning just one of the last five matches against their local rivals.

Noah Allen, set to play at left back while Sergio Reguilon is injured, has changed the way Miami is able to attack and defend since its best setup last season saw him in central defense. But a major change by Miami manager Javier Mascherano, immediately bringing in Mateo Silvetti in place of Allen, paid off. These in-game adjustments have shown his growth as a coach, with last season being Mascherano’s first year in charge of a professional team, his previous experience being with Argentina’s youth teams.

The Herons went to a back three as Yannick Bright moved to centre-back and Silvetti fired a shot from outside the box to start the comeback just after half-time before Segovia allowed time for Messi to score from outside the box to bring the game level. Messi returned the favor by setting up Segovia, so he had to essentially pass the ball past Orlando goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau before capping it off in the most messiful way possible, scoring a free kick in the 90th minute in emphatic fashion.

There are concerns for the Herons because every time they turned the ball over, Orlando was able to take the break and test Dayne St. Clair, but when a team can put their foot down like that and express their offensive prowess, the defensive yips can be ignored while the Herons work to get the most out of this version of the team.

Miami and Orlando developed into a full-blown rivalry with Messi celebrating in front of the Orlando fans after his victory, and for the first time in their history, the Herons have now left Orlando with a victory. After getting behind, a switch flipped for the Herons. The next step to getting where they want to be is to make sure they’re not waiting until they’re behind to be at their best, but incremental improvement is important, and it’s a step in the right direction.