Inter Miami 5-0 Orlando City: Player ratings as Luis Suarez delivers perfect showing in Sunshine Clasico
- Luis Suarez scored his first goals as an Inter Miami player
- The 37-year-old dished out two assists in the dominant victory
- Lionel Messi also found the back of the net twice in the second half
Braces from Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez propelled Inter Miami to a 5-0 triumph over in-state foes Orlando City in the Sunshine Clasico at Chase Stadium Saturday afternoon.
The hosts started off in perfect fashion with their consistent pressure leading to the opening goal of the contest.
Newcomer Luis Suarez blocked a passing lane for the visiting Lions, in which Lionel Messi pounced and played Julian Gressel through down the right-hand side. The former Atlanta United figure squared the ball across the center of the box as Suarez finished home with a first-time strike that Pedro Gallese had no chance of stopping.
Things went from bad to worse for the visitors, as Gressel connected again with Suarez to put the hosts up 2-0 inside 12 minutes played in south Florida. A quick one-two saw Gressel play the former Gremio player through on goal with an outside of the boot lobbed pass, and Suarez made no mistake with his second chance of the game.
The Herons added a third just inside the half-hour mark, as Suarez took on the playmaker role this time around and unselfishly laid a pass off for Robert Taylor for a simple tap-in in an open net. Once again Julian Gressel played a key role in the goal as he grabbed the pre-assist in the buildup.
Miami continued to pile on with their fourth goal of the afternoon, and it was probably the most MLS-esque goal we've seen in a minute. Messi got in the act after a crazy sequence of events in Orlando's penalty area right after Robin Jansson's clearance rocketed off the crossbar and into Messi's path for as the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner essentially chested the ball into the net.
Messi didn't stop there, though. The 36-year-old Argentine legend got on the end of a pin-point cross from Suarez's weaker left foot and added his second of the game with a textbook header across the face of goal, leaving Gallese with no chance of keeping it out.
Messi's second strike would end up being the final goal scored by the home side, as they picked up their second win of the fresh MLS season while also keeping their second clean sheet.
Inter Miami player ratings ( 4-3-3 )
GK: Drake Calleder - 6/10 - The immense performance from his defenders left him little work to do in between the sticks.
RB: DeAndre Yedlin - 7/10 - Another strong defensive showing against formidable wide players like Facundo Torres and Ivan Angulo.
CB: Tomas Aviles - 7/10 - A decent performance overall as the 19-year-old continues to gain experience with a few crucial blocks and interceptions.
CB: Nicolas Freire - 7.5/10 - Didn't put a foot wrong in his debut for the Herons and showed great anticipation on several occasions.
LB: Jordi Alba - 7.5/10 - Was kept at bay in the first half in attack but created the fourth goal out of nothing by driving through the Lions' midfield and defense.
CM: Diego Gomez - 6.5/10 - Struggled in the first half but improved in the second 45 to help anchor the midfield.
CM: Sergio Busquets - 7/10 - A much better showing when compared to his first two games of the campaign.
CM: Julian Gressel - 8/10 - The performance that the Miami supporters were waiting for. He pulled the strings from the middle of the park and was involved in all three of his team's goals.
RW: Lionel Messi - 9/10 - Solid throughout as he found the back of the net with an awkward finish from point-blank range with his chest. His headed effort was perfectly-placed and capped off a dominant performance.
ST: Luis Suarez - 10/10 - A perfect game as he bagged his first goals an Inter Miami player with a finishing masterclass while also dishing out a pair of assists.
LW: Robert Taylor - 7/10 - Quiet for the most part but still managed to get on the scoresheet with a simple finish in front of an open goal.
Substitutes
SUB: Leo Campana (67' for Suarez) - 6/10 - Provided little up front upon coming on but it didn't matter too much with Miami seeing out the game.
SUB: David Ruiz (67' for Gressel) - 6/10 - Embarked on a couple of threatening runs in the final third but they amounted to nothing.
SUB: Serhiy Kryvstov (78' for Aviles) - N/A
SUB: Jean Mota (79' for Gomez) - N/A
SUB: Noah Allen (79' for Freire) - N/A
Manager
Gerardo 'Tata' Martino - 10/10 - This was the Inter Miami many were anticipating once Suarez joined and created the quartet of ex-Barcelona legends, and they look like a force to be reckoned with should they stay healthy during the season.