Three Up, Three Down: Charlotte edges Inter Miami 1-0 on Decision Day, earns playoff spot

The Herons played Saturday’s match in Charlotte as though it were their last…which, thankfully, it was. For the final time this season, we spotlight the three Inter Miami players who played…better…and three who didn’t.
Charlotte FC midfielder Andrew Privett and Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi chase a ball in their match Saturday.
Charlotte FC midfielder Andrew Privett and Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi chase a ball in their match Saturday. / Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports
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THREE DOWN

Diego Gomez, Kamal Miller, DeAndre Yedlin, D

This grade may be unfair to Gomez; Tata played him on the left wing in the first half, a position for which he definitely is not equipped. He played better when he moved to the center after the break. Miller and Yedlin, though — two of our most important players, by the way — were too often caught flat-footed or simply out of position. Kerwin Vargas blew beat Yedlin for the game’s only goal, the latest in a series of miscues for the national team defender. The 30-year-old looks to be losing the pace that made him so dangerous for so many years.

So, that’s a wrap. The season was disappointing, but there are plenty of reasons for optimism in the next two years. Next year, I expect to be posting “3U3D” well into November. Up next: A China tour and a farewell match for Messi in Barcelona.

What offseason?