Luis Suarez dazzled on Saturday night as Inter Miami CF defeated the Chicago Fire, 4-1, at Soldier Field in front of 55,385 fans. The win added to the club’s first-place lead in the Eastern Conference of MLS.
With a playoff berth already secured, Inter Miami put on a show in the road victory, much to the delight of coach Tata Martino, who fielded a roster that did not feature superstar Lionel Messi.
It didn’t look like it. Despite losing in ball possession, with the Fire owning 50.3% of the time, Inter Miami took control after the seven-minute mark and never looked back.
“We didn’t have control,” Martino said of the first seven minutes. “But from then on, we did, and I think it remained that way until about 10 or 12 minutes before the end of the match. After that, we dropped back a little, but the players who came on did well, so we could close out the match.”
Suarez scored two goals in the second half for a club that has now won four straight matches, and also forced the Fire into an own goal.
In Minute 25, Diego Gomez made a center pass to Suarez and the Uruguayan made a direct shot to the goal. Chris Brazy made a sensational save for Chicago, but it wasn’t enough because his teammate Tobias Salquist made a mistake on defense and scored an own goal.
From there, Suarez started scoring goals for himself. In Minute 46, with a long pass from Gomez, he scored his first to give Miami a 2-0 lead. In Minute 65, Suarez, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets made a sensational play, harkening back to their Barcelona days. That goal gave Inter Miami a 3-0 lead and essentially put the game away.
For all of the publicity that Messi gets as an inspirational force on this club, it’s clear that Martino also respects and admires the contributions of Suarez. And that was never more evident than on Saturday night.
“Luis, yes, he was probably the best player on the field,” he said “But, I don’t want to focus so much on the goals, because goals are normal for him. I want to focus more on his play and everything he provides us with, so that the team can maintain possession and all the passing and release options he offers to the midfielders.
“Thanks to him, we can start playing in different areas of the field, so he has done that very well.”
It’s clear the players also look up to Suarez as a game changer.
“So much of the stuff he creates for us, the stuff he obviously puts away for us is incredible,” midfielder Julian Gressel said. “And (Saturday), again, two goals, and last game, as well. So, there’s certainly a different quality when he’s on like that, and it makes a big difference when you have game changers like him.”
Miami sealed the victory with a Robert Taylor goal that sent the club cruising into a September break. Inter Miami has 59 points, eight more than second-place FC Cincinnati, with just seven matches to play. The team has two weeks off before the next regular-season match
When they return, Inter Miami will host the Philadelphia Union at the Chase Stadium on Sept. 14, and Martino expects that Messi will be back on the pitch for that one.
“Ultimately, we discussed it and concluded that this second option was better,” Martino said, when asked about why Messi didn’t play in Chicago. “So, in a way, we hope to have him available for the match against Philadelphia.”
By then, there should be even more hype built up for the franchise’s first-ever MLS Cup and securing the support shield. But don’t tell the team that just yet.
“We’re taking it game by game, so every game is just as important as the next,” defender Ian Fray said. “And we’re going to keep winning like this, and then ultimately get the support shield.”
