They’re a team of extremes, Inter Miami.
We started learning that last summer as the new-look squad marched on two incredible tournament runs before promptly flopping in the remainder of the regular season and missing out on the playoffs. We saw it in preseason, where fans in El Salvador flocked to celebrate Lionel Messi and others in Hong Kong jeered when injuries prevented him from playing.
When Miami play well, they play beautiful, entrancing soccer. When they don’t, it’s, uh, real ugly.
We saw the extremes in Inter Miami’s first meaningful game of 2024, a 2-0 win over Real Salt Lake on Wednesday to kick off the new MLS regular season. With every bit of combination play and clever one-touch passing, Miami’s ability to win multiple trophies this season became even clearer. But with every unforced error and bad decision from the — let’s face it — extras in Messi’s cast, doubt seeped in, too.
So what worked for Inter Miami in their regular season opener? And what didn’t?
Let’s dig in.
Worked: Luis Suarez up top
All of the talk about the 37-year-old’s knee issues and mobility problems is warranted. Luis Suarez absolutely does not move like he did in his prime. But you know what else is warranted? Discussion about how stupid good he was on Wednesday night.
