RECAP: Herons get much-needed 4-1 win against NY Red Bulls
Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez snapped scoring droughts Saturday, helping the Herons’ end a three-game losing streak.
Lionel Messi kicks the ball during Inter Miami’s 4-1 victory against the New York Red Bulls on Saturday at Chase Stadium. PHOTO: Al Diaz/Miami Herald
Tweaks open Herons’ attack
Inter Miami scored just nine goals in eight April matches, leading fans and pundits to wonder if first-year coach Javier Mascherano could — or would — make adjustments.
The answer? Kinda.
La RosaNegra beat the New York Red Bulls 4-1 Saturday, ending a three-game losing skid and matching its highest goal total of the year. Each score was created by players attacking from the wings.
Critics had charged that Mascherano’s offense was too predictable and relied too heavily on Lionel Messi; opposing teams contracted their defenses into the penalty box, disrupting the Herons’ quick cuts and short passes, they said.
Mascherano dismissed concerns about his tactics earlier in the week.
“We must keep going on the path we were on and correct our mistakes,” he told reporters after the Vancouver Whitecaps won the second leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup semifinal 3-1 — and the semifinal with a two-game aggregate score of 5-1. “We believe in what we’re doing.”
Against New York, Mascherano kept his favored 4-2-3-1 formation and eight starters from the midweek loss. Picault, defensive midfielder Yannick Bright and center back Gonzalo Lujan started instead of Telasco Segovia, Fede Redondo and Maxi Falcon.
“With Fafa we were looking for more depth in our attack, to run more to spaces, with Fafa as well as Tadeo [Allende],” Mascherano said after Saturday’s win, as quoted by the Miami Herald.
As well as directing his speedy wings to “run more to spaces,” Mascherano gave his fullbacks, Jordi Alba and Chelo Weigandt, more freedom to join the attack — maybe because the Red Bulls, without injured former Heron Lewis Morgan, were less likely to attack on the counter.
The changes paid immediate dividends; Picault scored on a cross from Weigandt in the ninth minute and Weigandt after a pass from Picault in the 32nd. Seven minutes later, with defenders forced to cover the wings, Luis Suarez found space to score his first goal since March 13 in a Champions Cup win against Cavalier in Jamaica. Messi added Miami’s last goal in the 67th minute with an assist by Segovia, who came on at halftime for Allende.
Mohammed Sofo scored New York’s only goal in the 43rd minute, heading an Omar Valencia corner kick into the net.
Inter Miami improved to 6-1-3 and 18 points; the Red Bulls are 4-4-3 with 15 points.
The Herons next two matches are on the road, at Minnesota (5-2-4, 19 points) Saturday and San Jose (4-6-1, 13 points) on Wednesday, May 14.