Inter Miami once again dropped points from a winning position on the road this week with a 1-1 draw against New York City FC.
With Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez in the starting XI, the Herons were unable to return to winning ways after Wednesday’s draw against Atlanta United with James Sands scoring a 95th-minute equalizer at Yankee Stadium.
With the iconic baseball ground known for being a difficult away game for MLS teams, Inter Miami will still feel frustrated that they didn’t come away with all three points having taken the lead through Leonardo Campana, with Messi and Suarez firing blanks.
And manager Tata Martino has noted which moment caused Inter Miami to drop points against New York.
Martino slams referee for not calling Inter Miami foul for New York’s goal
Speaking to the press after the game, Martino was quick to call out the referee of the match for not calling a foul in the build-up to New York City’s goal, with Thiago Martins clearly shoving Yannick Bright to the ground.
Martino said on the incident and the game: “The team didn’t lack anything, but the match lacked a good referee. We had a good game, we should’ve won. If the referee would’ve called the foul committed against Yannick Bright, we would’ve won the game 1-0.”
With referees in MLS questionable at best, the uncalled foul will come as little surprise to Inter Miami fans, who this season have been on the receiving end of some truly poor decisions from league officials.
And with Inter Miami losing out on another win due to a referee’s decision-making, Martino has every right to feel annoyed about dropping two points with the game so close to ending in a Herons victory.
Inter Miami had enough quality to get the job done at Yankee Stadium
With Messi and Suarez back in the starting XI with the usual array of MLS stars in the squad taking to the field, Inter Miami had more than enough quality this weekend to get a job done against New York City in the Big Apple.
Although the referee played a part in Inter Miami dropping points, the Herons should still look at themselves as to why they couldn’t get the win on their own, with the quality there on the pitch to secure the three points.
Whilst the Supporters’ Shield is still in Inter Miami’s hands, the past two results have been a potential warning on what could happen in the play-offs if Martino doesn’t get his ideas right, and the Florida franchise need to step up in the coming games.