Inter Miami 3-1 Toronto FC: Player ratings as Federico Redondo's brace propels Herons to home victory
- Inter Miami picked up three points at home against Eastern Conference foes Toronto FC
- The Herons rebounded to get back in the win column after their 6-1 defeat to FC Cincinnati on July 6
- Miami return to to the top of the Supporters' Shield standings with the win
A brace from Federico Redondo lifted Inter Miami to a 3-1 triumph over Toronto FC in Major League Soccer action at Chase Stadium.
It was a poor first half from the hosts who didn't register a single shot up until the end of the half. It was clear to see that Miami were feeling the negative effects of playing without not only Lionel Messi but Sergio Busquets, too as the former is sidelined indefinitely while the latter missed out through suspension.
However, that all changed in the 42nd minute when the Herons went in front on just their second shot of the night. Federico Redondo's pin-point accurate over-the-top through ball saw Diego Gomez take the pass in stride before he smashed it across the face of goal to put Miami in front.
Moments later, Toronto threatened to level things up through Italian icon Federico Bernardeschi. Toronto's No. 10 found himself with plenty of space outside of Miami's penalty area, and Bernardeschi let loose with a strike that was destined for the far corner before Drake Callender got a glove to it as it bounced off the post and out for a corner kick.
Miami would go on to double their lead seven minutes into the second half, with Redondo scoring his first goal as a Heron. The 21-year-old set up the opening goal and got on the end of the second goal of the night with a bullet header at the back post with Julian Gressel claiming the assist.
Redondo wasn't finished scoring at that point. In the 59th minute, Gressel set Gomez through down the left-hand side as the Paraguay international effortlessly laid the ball off for Redondo to tap-in to complete his brace. The Herons were in cruise control with a commanding 3-0 lead at home.
Toronto managed to pull one back with roughly 10 minutes to go in normal time through Derrick Etienne Jr. Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty played the ex-Atlanta United winger through on goal and Etienne Jr. made no mistake from close range. Callender must've been disappointed to not keep the clean sheet, but Miami would still go on to hold for all three points.
The win saw Miami return to the top of the Supporters' Shield standings as FC Cincinnati fell 1-0 to Chicago Fire. Even though Cincinnati thrashed Miami 6-1 a couple weeks ago, the Herons have in turn leapfrogged the Orange and Blue for with 50 points compared to 48.
Inter Miami player ratings ( 4-3-3 )
GK: Drake Callender - 8/10 - Came up with two huge stops to deny Bernardeschi both times in his 100th appearance in a Miami shirt.
RB: Ian Fray - 6/10 - Started rather well but was dribbled past on a couple of occasions. Improved as the game wore on as Toronto saw limited chances down the left-hand side.
CB: Tomas Aviles - 7/10 - His positioning wasn't the best in the opening stages but he settled in later on in the game.
CB: Serhiy Kryvtsov - 6/10 - Looked solid before he was substituted off due to injury.
LB: Jordi Alba - 7/10 - Everywhere up and down the left-hand side of the pitch. Linked up well with his teammates several times but his crosses just couldn't find a fellow Heron.
CM: Matias Rojas - 6/10 - A quiet night from Rojas in his first game back from Copa America.
CM: Yannick Bright - 6/10 - The player neither helped nor hindered his side.
CM: Federico Redondo - 9/10 - His near-perfect pass helped put Miami up in the first half before he scored his first two goals for the club in the second 45.
RW: Julian Gressel - 7/10 - Martino continues to play the former Atlanta United player out on the wing even with Matias Rojas back in the squad. Gressel looked sharp overall, popping up in pockets around the pitch to kickstart attacks.
ST: Leo Campana - 6/10 - A quiet night from the young forward as he still looks to equal Gonzalo Higuain's goalscoring record for Miami. Campana didn't really get much service up front in fairness.
LW: Diego Gomez - 8/10 - Take a bow, Diego Gomez. The Paraguay international got fans off their seats at Chase Stadium with his thundering effort in the first 45. The Gomez show continued as he tallied a beautiful assist in the second half with a nonchalant ball into Redondo's path.
Substitutes
SUB: Noah Allen (35' for Kryvtsov) - 6/10 - Helped shore up the backline after Kryvtsov's injury.
SUB: Luis Suarez (61' for Campana) - 5/10 - El Pistolero was all over the place after coming on. His touch wasn't on point and one of his failed passes nearly led to a Toronto goal.
SUB: Leo Afonso (81' for Rojas) - N/A
SUB: Robert Taylor (81' for Gomez ) - N/A
SUB: David Ruiz (81' for Gressel) - N/A
Manager
Gerardo 'Tata' Martino - 8/10 - His team was set up well for success after enduring a dull and boring first half. It was the perfect example of how to stay patient and weather the storm because typically, Miami will have enough quality in their squad to take down most MLS teams -- even without a Messi or Busquets.