Striker Mikael Uhre opened the scoring for the Philadelphia Union just 62 seconds into their match, finding the back of the net after a clearance attempt by David Martínez. Uhre settled the ball outside the box and sent a shot past goalkeeper Drake Callendar to the bottom left corner.
Following this quick start, Philadelphia controlled the offensive play in the first 20 minutes, with Uhre, Tai Baribo, and Dániel Gazdag combining for four shots on target. However, the momentum shifted when Lionel Messi, returning from a 105-day absence, equalized with help from Luis Suárez. Shortly after, Messi scored again with an assist from Jordi Alba, shooting to the bottom right corner to give Miami a 2-1 lead.
Miami nearly extended their advantage to 3-1 before halftime, but a goal by Suárez was disallowed after VAR ruled Messi offside on the assist. At the start of the second half, Uhre attempted to bring Philadelphia level, but moments later, Jack Elliott was shown a yellow card for a tactical foul on Messi to prevent another goal. Due to this booking, Elliott will miss the Union’s upcoming match against NYCFC.
Midway through the second half, coach Jim Curtin made substitutions, bringing in Samuel Adeniran and Alejandro Bedoya for Uhre and Jack McGlynn. This maintained the Union’s 4-4-2 diamond formation and allowed Quinn Sullivan to push forward while Bedoya managed defensive duties.
Immediately after the substitutions, Sullivan provided a cross that Adeniran shot just over the bar. As the match progressed, Inter Miami made defensive changes, shifting to a back five, which opened opportunities for Philadelphia, including a near miss from Gazdag and a long-range effort from Elliott.
After a stoppage for an injury to Kai Wagner, Messi assisted Suárez for the final goal, sealing the victory for Miami.
Notable Points:
– Union goalkeeper Andre Blake missed the match due to an injury sustained during international duty and has now been absent for 19 of the Union’s 28 games.
– With his yellow card, Jack Elliott is ineligible for the upcoming match against NYCFC.
– With only six matches remaining in the season, the Union currently sit in 11th place and need to secure several wins to compete for a wild card spot.
Lineups:
Philadelphia: Andrew Rick, Jack Elliott, Jakob Glesnes, Leon Flach (Danley Jean Jacques—82′), Kai Wagner, Nathan Harriel (Olivier Mbaizo—88′), Dániel Gazdag, Jack McGlynn (Alejandro Bedoya—63′), Quinn Sullivan (Jeremy Rafanello—88′), Mikkel Uhre (Samuel Adeniran—63′), Tai Baribo.
Unused subs: Cavan Sullivan, Oliver Semmle, Jesús Bueno, Chris Donovan.
Inter Miami FC: Drake Callender, Héctor Martínez (Noah Allen—15′; Ian Fray—90’+2′), Tomás Avilés, Jordi Alba, Marcelo Weigandt, Sergio Busquets, Federico Redondo (David Ruiz—90’+2′), Julian Gressel (Yannick Bright—81′), Luis Suárez, Diego Gómez (Benjamin Cremaschi—81′), Lionel Messi.
Unused subs: Óscar Ustari, Robert Taylor, Franco Negri, Leonardo Campana.
Scoring Summary:
PHI – Mikael Uhre — 2′
MIA – Lionel Messi — 26′
MIA – Lionel Messi — 30′
MIA – Luis Suárez — 90’+8′
Misconduct Summary:
MIA – Tomás Avilés — 32′
PHI – Jack Elliott — 56′
PHI – Quinn Sullivan — 72′
MIA – Luis Suárez — 75′
MIA – Lionel Messi — 87′
MIA – Sergio Busquets — 90’+5′