July 26, 2021 – Major League Soccer (MLS) – Inter Miami CF News Release
Inter Miami CF (2W-3D-8L, 9 points) earned a hard fought 1-1 draw with the reigning Supporters’ Shield champion Philadelphia Union in front of the Club’s passionate fan base at DRV PNK Stadium. Robbie Robinson scored the team’s goal and was named the Heineken Man of the Match for his efforts.
Lineup Notes
Inter Miami lined up for the match with a few changes from Wednesday’s midweek loss; Gregore returned to the starting XI following his yellow card accumulation suspension, and the midfielder was named captain by Neville for the first time upon his return. Federico Higuaín also returned to the starting XI for the first time since late May, while Kieran Gibbs slotted in the starting lineup for the first time following his debut on Wednesday.
The match opened with an even run of play in the opening moments, with both sides finding a rhythm in attack. Inter Miami’s first moment of significant danger came in the 16th minute; a great attacking sequence involving Federico Higuaín, Gibbs, Robinson and Gonzalo Higuaín saw the younger Higuaín brother turn to beat a defender and deliver a shot at the near post that was saved.
The hosts continued to create threatening moments throughout the remainder of the half, notably a few attacking moves involving the Higuaín brothers, Lewis Morgan and Robinson, but the match remained scoreless heading into halftime.
Inter Miami made its first substitution of the match in the 52nd minute, bringing on Brek Shea for Gibbs. The team continued to threaten early in the second half, with chances falling to Gonzalo Higuaín and Robinson, which would prove to be foreshadowing. In the 71st minute, the pair combined to score the opening goal; a swift counter saw Shea play a ball to Gonzalo Higuaín, who met the pass and played a first-time ball over the top to a streaking Robinson. The young forward curled a shot from the left side of the box to the far post, beating the keeper to score his second goal of the season and give the team a 1-0 lead. The assist, meanwhile, was Higuaín’s second of the campaign.
Just minutes later the young attacker almost doubled his tally; another counter saw Robinson drive from midfield, play a ball out wide to Gonzalo Higuaín, who popped the ball over a sliding defender to beat him, and cut a pass back to Robinson at the top of the box. Robinson then turned to put the ball on his right foot and shoot at the near post, but his shot went just wide.
The team followed the attacking move with a pair of changes, bringing on Jay Chapman and Indiana Vassilev – making his second appearance – in place of Federico Higuaín and the goal scorer Robinson.
In the 85th minute, however, Philadelphia levelled the score; a shot came in from a wide area that drew a diving save from Nick Marsman, but the rebound fell to Kacper Przybylko at the far post, who slotted it into the empty net to make it 1-1.
The team made two final changes following Philadelphia’s goal, bringing on Julián Carranza for Gonzalo Higuaín and Kelvin Leerdam for Morgan. The appearance marked a milestone for Leerdam, as it was the 100th in the MLS regular season of his career.
Despite continued attacking efforts from the hosts, the match reached the final whistle with the 1-1 stalemate intact. The draw, however, snapped Inter Miami’s six-game losing streak.
Heineken Man of the Match
Robbie Robinson earned Heineken Man of the Match honors in just his second game back after a return from injury. The young forward netted his second goal of the campaign and constantly stretched the game and threatened the Philadelphia backline.
Post-Match Reaction
“I am massively proud of the players tonight. I think we deserved the victory. I thought that their attitudes, their commitment, their desire – everything that you wanted to see in a team, everything that you want to see as a supporter that we talked about yesterday – I think they gave to the fútbol club,” said head coach Phil Neville.
Inter Miami CF Celebrates Fútbol Salutes – Military Appreciation Night presented by Wendy’s
The Club celebrated Fútbol Salutes – Military Appreciation Night presented by Wendy’s this evening to honor and celebrate servicemen and women across South Florida. The event included the United States flag being displayed by supporters in the North Stand during the pre-match ceremony and the Star Spangled Banner performance by United States Army Veteran, Specialist Charles Jones. Players also arrived at the match wearing limited edition adidas Camo pre-match jerseys upon arrival to DRV PNK Stadium. These tops are on sale now on mlsstore.com.
Military Appreciation Night Presented by Wendy’s
The proceedings also included a celebration of the night’s Inter Miami Hero of the Match, United States Army Specialist Anthony Herrera. Specialist Herrera has served as a Military Police Officer for the U.S. Army in back-to-back deployments over the last three-and-a-half years, serving in South Korea with the 188th Military Police Company and then with the 92nd Military Police Company. Herrera’s service duties include extensive Security Escort Missions and enforcement at multiple European locations. His many accolades include the National Defense Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon Korean Defense Service Medal, Army Overseas Service Ribbon and the Global War on Terror Service Medal. Herrera surprised his family by returning from Germany and appearing at the pre-match ceremony, greeting his father Humberto Herrera – a police lieutenant – and uncle Carlos Herrera – a retired Air Force veteran.
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