FC Dallas shock Inter Miami as Messi and Suárez powerless to help | OneFootball

Inter Miami went onto the field with an understanding that the team needed to manage the team before the Concacaf Champions Cup decision. Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez, and Jordi Alba were observers in the match since Javier Mascherano tested the stamina of the team. And while the strategy worked well on paper, the reality on the field was not the same. Against FC Dallas, in the tenth round of MLS, the Florida team saw a comfortable victory go out of their hands in a nearly unbelievable manner.

A game controlled until it was not

Inter Miami were able to take a 3-1 lead. The team seemed to have the game under control without their top stars. But only FC Dallas needed to believe a bit more, and security became despair. Within 16 minutes of the second half, the Texas team overturned the game and won 4-3 at Chase Stadium. For a team that wants to be a hero in both MLS and Concacaf, to allow three points to slip away like this is not very reassuring.

Javier Mascherano said it was his fault, excuses aside. The team played well for 60, 65 minutes, but the substitutions he made didn't work, according to the coach.

"It's not easy. It's not easy. The reality is that we played a great game for 60, 65 minutes, in which we were down on the score and came back, which isn't easy. And nothing". Unfortunately, the blame lies with me. I blundered during reading the game and, well, today I was unable to help them. The blame lies with me, for not helping the players with the correct changes, or for not being able to read the game well so that we would win. He took responsibility for having misread the game and with the subs. It was a dignified move, but it also shows the reality: Inter Miami is still massively dependent on its superstars, and when they're not around, the team turns out to be much weaker than it should be.

FC Dallas matured at the right moment

Meanwhile, FC Dallas learned how to make the most of every chance. Young coach Eric Quill showed guts by making a tactical change during the game, shifting from the standard 4-2-3-1 to a more offensive 3-4-3. The tactical change paid off as a dramatic comeback ensued. Shaq Moore struck the first goal early on, and even though his team looked like the comeback victim, Dallas stood firm. Osaze Urhoghide trimmed the deficit, Anderson Julio tied the game, and Pedrinho, Flamengo's discovery, came on to put the game to bed with a goal and an assist in 32 minutes.

A clinical performance in a lost game. Moreover, Pedrinho’s entry changed the course of the game. The young Brazilian, still seeking to establish himself in MLS, showed opportunism and personality. His performance was the spark that ignited Dallas’s reaction and sealed Miami’s collapse. Pedrinho, by the way, now joins Petar Musa as the only FC Dallas players this season to score a goal and provide an assist in the same match.