Leonardo Campana scored the winning goal for the Garzas in the 93rd minute of the game. They were at the top of the Eastern Conference with 31 points

Inter Miami beat DC United 1-0 at Chase Stadium on matchday 14 of Major League Soccer (MLS) thanks to Leonardo Campana’s goal in the 93rd minute. The match was marked by the return of Lionel Messi to the starting lineup after being absent from the last game due to an illness. The opening whistle was delayed more than half an hour due to weather issues.

As soon as the official transmission started, they detailed that the delay was due to an electrical storm. The lightning gave a respite, but not the water, so that the ball could roll in Florida. As is customary, the homeowner took the initiative before his audience, but had a hard time creating risky chances. So much so, that the first deep play came with an attempt by Pedro Santos contained by Drake Callender at 18 minutes.

The answer came through two unsuccessful shots by Messi, although the best chance took place just before the first 45 minutes, when Benjamín Cremaschi could not beat Alexander Bono in a clear one-on-one match.

Regarding the complement, the parity between both franchises calmed the process until the added time. At 92 minutes, Callender made a key save to avoid Cristian Dájome’s goal in an intervention that took on greater meaning in the seconds that followed. A masterful pass from Sergio Busquets left Leonardo Campana alone (he had entered moments before for Matías Rojas), who executed a powerful shot to leave Bono without a chance and spark a collective celebration in Fort Lauderdale.
One of the positive points of the result was the return of Lionel Messi after being absent due to injury in the 0-0 draw against Orlando City because his influence is vital in the Garzas: his team won 2 out of 13 games in which he did not play on the 10th. So far in MLS 2024, he has 10 goals and 9 assists in 10 games played.

La Pulga had suffered a new ailment in his knee, which, logically, set off alarms in both the pink team and the National Team, given the proximity of the Copa América (La Scaloneta’s first match will be on June 20 against Canada at the Mercedes Benz-Stadium in Atlanta).

Initially, Gerardo Martino had avoided confirming whether he was going to count on his captain: “The plan is for him to play, but we will deal with it day by day. “We’ll see how he feels on Thursday and Friday.” Finally, he turned to Rosario to command the offensive with Luis Suárez and Matías Rojas.

Inter Miami remains in first place in the Eastern Conference with 31 points, ahead of its runner-up, Cincinnati (30), which beat St. Louis City earlier. Las Garzas will face Vancouver Whitecaps as a visitor next Saturday from 11:30 p.m. (Argentine time). On the other hand, DC United is in ninth place in the table with 17 points and will seek to return to the path of victory on the same day from 8:30 p.m. against Chicago Fire at home.