Four Key Takeaways From Inter Miami’s Heated Duel With Philadelphia Union
Inter Miami surrendered vital points in the Supporters’ Shield race in a feisty 2–2 draw against the Philadelphia Union, which ended with a brawl and a red card for key midfielder Yannick Bright.
The Herons began the night slowly, allowing Indiana Vassilev to get on the end of an unchallenged cross to score in the 11th minute, before 19-year-old academy product Dániel Pintér pulled Miami back level at 1–1 10 minutes later.
Hemmed in their own half for much of the match, Miami held relatively strong for most of the evening, despite giving up a whopping 17 shots to the Union’s attackers, compared to the mere five Miami managed in their attack.
Lionel Messi netted his 13th goal of the season in the 26th minute to give the Herons a lead heading into halftime, but the Argentine’s side couldn’t hold on, allowing 6'7" USMNT prospect Neil Pierre to tie the match in the 58th minute.
Philadelphia made the bigger late push for a winner and scored a set-piece goal before VAR called it back, but the sides settled for a single point each as the game ended with Bright and 16-year-old Union phenom Cavan Sullivan earning red cards in an ugly scuffle.
St. Clair Finds His Form in Return
After seven games for Rocco Ríos Novo, interim manager Guillermo Hoyos made a shift back to his side’s marquee offseason acquisition, Dayne St. Clair, between the sticks.
While St. Clair was overwhelmed in Miami’s system before the World Cup, the switch to Ríos Novo had been equally rocky for the Herons—highlighted by the pass-back own goal against the Chicago Fire last month and Saturday’s fourth-goal blunder in the 4–1 loss to Nashville.
St. Clair’s return began poorly, allowing Vassilev to sharply finish a cross after electing not to come out and attempt to intercept the driven ball from Frankie Westfield. Yet, the Canadian international can more or less blame Ian Fray’s inability to maintain his defensive assignment, allowing Vassilev an unopposed chance at goal.
After allowing the opener, St. Clair found his footing. Aggressively, he stopped a partial breakaway from Bruno Damiani in the 20th minute, and in the 32nd, got on the end of Westfield’s attempt from a corner kick. At the same time, he was involved with more confidence than before the World Cup, with his delivery to midfielders sharper than his counterpart’s.
The second half brought an impressive double save in the 72nd minute, showcasing St. Clair’s newfound aggressiveness to charge out to the attacker—even after he got lucky when VAR called back a set-piece goal, where he allowed a rebound on a controllable delivery.
Defense Remains Worrisome
Inter Miami’s backline isn’t good, and bringing Maxi Falcón back into the mix over the last two games has been a step back from the progress the team has shown with Micael and Gonzalo Luján. While Micael isn’t an option due to injury, Falcón’s reintroduction has allowed both Nashville and Philadelphia to send long balls past the back line, leaving both center backs unable to catch up to attackers due to a lack of pace and misjudged positioning.
Another issue with Falcón on the back line is how Miami can handle a team’s counterpress. The 29-year-old has little patience on the ball and isn’t good under pressure—that factor, combined with his distribution struggles when he does find the time, allows teams to expose the backline’s glaring errors.
With an unconfident backline, St. Clair is called upon to play the ball—a quality he doesn’t hold at a high level. The defense is a massive step back from what it was when Jordi Alba manned the wide areas and Sergio Busquets patroled as a holding midfielder, and the talents who have stepped in aren’t at a top-tier level.
Daniél Píntér Stands Out
Inter Miami have needed attacking depth, and 19-year-old academy product Daniel Píntér has been given plenty of opportunities. While he has struggled to drive an attack on his own, this match showed he might be getting up to speed playing with Messi and Luis Suárez.
Notably, on his goal in the 21st minute, he read the situation well enough to situate himself centrally and at the back post, allowing Messi to pick out Suárez, who sent the ball into a dangerous area where Pintér struck.
Miami's concern now will be finding the best spot for Pintér to develop. If one week he is a striker and the next a winger, there’s a risk he could stall in his development, or force his way for a move to get greater and more consistent opportunities, similar to Benjamin Cremaschi’s 2025 move to Serie B.
Goodbye to the Supporters’ Shield?
Inter Miami failed to advance from the Leagues Cup Phase One and can now all but say farewell to their hopes of winning the Supporters’ Shield, awarded to the best team in the MLS regular season. With more points dropped in the draw and with Nashville’s win over Red Bull New York, the Herons now sit seven points back of the top spot in the league and the Eastern Conference—with several teams nipping at their heels to catch them in the 30-team league table.
While the entire Messi-led project can rely on the MLS Cup playoff system to give them another chance at glory, the Supporters’ Shield was seen as the next priority after disappointment in the Concacaf Champions Cup and Leagues Cup.
The remaining 14 regular season games will still be vital, though. As much as Messi doesn’t have to prove anything more in his illustrious career, his ability to take over a game is the only way Miami will find any type of trophy success through the remainder of the season—and those moments have been fleeting since returning from World Cup final heartbreak with Argentina and further suffering the loss of his father, Jorge Messi.
Without Messi at his top-end best, this is nothing more than a deeply flawed team that could be primed for a playoff upset.
