Player Ratings: Inter Miami's Nu Stadium debut ends in a 2-2 draw vs Austin FC

On a day filled with celebration and commemoration of the club’s accomplishments, Inter Miami failed to put a ribbon on an otherwise perfect day, with a 2-2 draw at home vs. Austin FC.

With appearances by Commissioner Don Garber, David Beckham (naturally…), and Marc Anthony, the Herons kicked off this star-studded, highly anticipated game on the wrong foot, conceding the opener in just six minutes. 

However, Miami would get the equalizer just as quickly as they lost it with Lionel Messi scoring the team’s first goal in Nu Stadium history just four minutes later. 

The rest of the match was a slog.

Austin had a competent game plan of forcing Miami’s midfield into uncomfortable positions, which led to inconsistent ball progression for the attack. Because of this, Messi was forced to drop into the midfield multiple times to link up play.

Not ideal!

While it worked for a period of time, Austin would score once again on a breakaway counter through Jayden Nelson in the 53rd minute. 

The Herons would give it one last push, with manager Javier Mascherano making several attacking substitutions, which saw Luis Suarez score the final equalizer of the game in the 81st minute.

Concerning tactical signs aside, Miami did well to not completely embarrass itself on such an important (and dare I say, historical) day. 

Here are Player Ratings from Inter Miami’s spoiled 2-2  homecoming vs Austin FC.

*I’ll rate every player on a scale of 1 to 10, with 5-6 being average/below average. For the substitutes, I’ll judge accordingly. *

Goalkeeping/Defense:

Dayne St. Clair - 6.3: Probably should’ve done better on the first goal, but, honestly, most of these goals do come from defensive or midfield mistakes in front of him. 

Noah Allen - 6.2: Had portions of the game where he was solid defensively, but everyone looked off tonight, really. 

Micael - 6.7: Still Inter Miami’s best defender, and he showed that tonight with several last-ditch tackles. 

Maxi Falcon - 6.3: Welcome back from injury!

Ian Fray - 6: Substituted off at half-time! Unsure if it's due to injury or just a tactical choice.

Midfield

David Ayala - 6: Once again, I was watching him closely in the press box! He gets into good open spaces and dares to make Hollywood passes, but unfortunately, he couldn’t quite find the rhythm alongside his teammates. 

Rodrigo De Paul - 6.4: He has to start doing better. Had a couple of misplaced passes that led to opposition opportunities. 

Telasco Segovia - 6.6: There were some moments throughout the game where he got involved in the final third and was eager to make something happen. But, he couldn’t quite put it together.

Attack

Lionel Messi - 8: Got the club's first goal in Nu Stadium history. 

Tadeo Allende - 6.1: Looks to be slightly out of form, considering what we know he’s capable of. Perhaps, tactically, having him play vertically instead of on the wings would do him some good. 

Mateo Silvetti- 6.3: Got into a couple of good goal-scoring positions, but couldn’t quite connect.

Substitutes

Gonzalo Lujan: 6.8: Liked the job he did defensively when he got substituted on, but I do think he’s probably more comfortable at centerback. 

German Berterame - 6.6: Got the assist on Suarez’s game-tying goal! Progress! 

Yannick Bright 6.2: Got some good stops that helped Miami make a late push at the end. 

Luis Suarez - 7.8: He really needed that goal, didn’t he?

Daniel Pinter - N/A: Didn’t play long enough for a rating.