Inter Miami took on Universitario de Deportes in their second match of pre-season, with the Herons once again coming away with a penalty shoot-out win.
Javier Mascherano’s side were unable to break the resilient Peruvian side with Inter Miami needing penalties to confirm their second win of pre-season, with Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Sergio Busquets playing over 70 minutes.
With new signing Tadeo Allende able to make his debut after fears that the on-loan Celta Vigo winger would miss Inter Miami’s tie against Universitario, the performance was a good one for the Herons, who seemingly impressed the 80,000-strong crowd in Lima.
Morover, with Santiago Morales the hero for Inter Miami last week, the Herons had to once again turn to their academy for inspiration to get a win via penalties, and fans were impressed by one player in particular in Peru, Noah Allen.
Inter Miami fans impressed as Noah Allen thrives at center-back
Naturally a left-back, the majority of Allen’s Inter Miami career has been spent as a fullback, with the arrival of Jordi Alba meaning the defender has had to find new ways to exert his influence in the team, which has led to a recent change to the center-back position.
And alongside Tomas Aviles last night in Peru, Inter Miami fans were impressed with what they saw from Allen, with the USA youth international asserting himself as a real option in the position for Mascherano heading into the 2025 MLS season.
Although Inter Miami are set to sign Maximiliano Falcon from Colo-Colo to expand on the center-back options, Allen’s performance in Lima raised some eyebrows for supporters watching from home, who enjoyed what they saw from the 20-year-old defender.
Here’s what some Inter Miami fans had to say about Allen’s performance against Universitario…
One Inter Miami fan wrote: “I liked Noah Allen today, he reminded me of his performances before Messi arrived where he stood out a lot.”
Another supporter posted: “Allen and Ustari were standouts, but we clearly need more practice for the squad to gel better and to get patterns of play down”
An Inter Miami supporter also posted: “Whoever thought Noah Allen was a left-back was seriously wrong, this man is the greatest center-back I’ve ever seen.”
Whilst another fan said: “Big performance from Allen, hopefully we get to see more of him in pre-season.”
Allen will give Mascherano an option for Inter Miami at central defense
Tata Martino was a big fan of Allen during the Argentine coach’s time at Chase Stadium, with the defender one of the many success stories to come from Inter Miami’s academy in recent years.
| Noah Allen’s stats vs Universitario |
| Minutes played – 90 |
| Pass accuracy – 58/62 (94%) |
| Defensive actions – 10 |
| Duels won – 4 |
| Clearances – 6 |
| Recoveries – 6 |
And as per Allen’s stats against Universitario, the defender has given Mascherano plenty to think about going into the next slate of pre-season games, with the fullback excelling in the center-back position despite a lack of experience in the role.
Indeed, at 20-years-old, Allen is far from the finished product just yet with Inter Miami, but under Mascherano, the defender can grow into a key player for the Herons, which will be worth it’s weight in gold in the upcoming season.