Starting XI (4-2-3-1): McCarthy, Leerdam, Figal, Pirez, Makoun, Ulloa, Matuidi, Morgan, Chapman, Shea, Carranza

Substitutes: G. Higuain 61′ (Carranza), Pizzaro 61′ (Shea), Jones 74′ (Morgan), F. Higuain 84′ (Makoun)

Player Ratings:

John McCarthy: 6/10 - All things considered, definitely one of Miami's better players on the night, regardless of the two goals conceded. McCarthy made some decent saves (particularly a great 1v1 stop vs Mueller in the 57th minute, shown below) and did well to keep Miami in the game.  

Kelvin Leerdam: 3/10 – Very poor going forward, and not much better defensively. He was definitely a target for Orlando, as most of their attacks came down his side (shown below). Not to mention, the lack of awareness to track Mueller for the 1st goal was disappointing.

Jorge Figal: 6/10 – An average performance from the Argentinian, as he was particularly poor in closing down Nani for the 2nd goal. But, some credit is due for rendering Orlando City striker Daryl Dike largely irrelevant for most of the first half.

Gonzalez Pirez: 5.5/10 – Similar to Figal, Pirez deserves acknowledgement for locking up Dike. Nevertheless, the constant complaining to referees gets annoying real fast, especially when you can’t back it up with your performances on the pitch. The less I say about his performance, the better.

Christian Makoun: 2/10 – Although playing out of position didn’t help, Makoun was far and away the worst player on the pitch. His defensive awareness was awful, as was his inability to track runners off the ball. Coupled with a lack of pace, these issues directly led to the 2nd goal, as shown below.

Victor Ulloa: 6/10 – Did well to win stay compact in midfield and won his fair share of duels (4/6), but just didn’t make enough of an impact offensively.

Blaise Matuidi: 7/10 – As Phil Neville said, last night was probably Matuidi’s best game in an Inter Miami shirt so far. However, it’s pretty telling of Inter Miami’s fortunes that a designated player’s best performance is a standard 7/10 at home. Nonetheless, he won the ball back quite well, and did enough to impose himself on the game. But, his performance on the ball prevents him from receiving a higher rating.

Lewis Morgan: 6/10 – Some nice moments on Miami’s right flank, but just a little too wasteful in the final third. Morgan is clearly one of Miami’s better players though, and the occasional average game shouldn’t change one’s opinions on him (or anyone, for that matter).

Jay Chapman: 6/10 – Deployed as a #10, Chapman did well to track back and provide defensive cover when needed. But, he didn’t create enough offensively, and just seemed to fall flat in the final-third.

Brek Shea: 5/10 – I hardly noticed Shea for most of the game, but he did well to stay wide and create space for Carranza and Chapman. I commend his effort each and every week, but his lack of pace is noticeably detrimental to the success of the team.

Julian Carranza: 5.5/10 – A very average performance, but the desire and hunger to press and chase down balls was there. So, on effort alone, Carranza gets an extra 0.5 from me.

Gonzalo Higuain: 8/10 – Created a goal out of nothing, and deserves an 8/10 for that alone. In my humble opinion, Miami’s MOTM on the night.

Rodolfo Pizzaro: 4/10 – Just seemed to be going through the motions, and didn’t show any willingness to get receive the ball and create something for Higuain, Morgan, or any of his other teammates. Overall, a forgettable performance from the Mexican international.

Federico Higuain: N/A – Not enough minutes played.

Joevin Jones: N/A – Not enough minutes played.

Overall Team Performance:

Maybe it’s my optimism talking, but I don’t think Miami played *that* poorly. It’d be very easy to chalk this off as another “typical Inter Miami performance”, but there were definitely some positives to build on from last night. Off the ball, we were fairly organized, and actually seemed to close down the opposition well. In fact, for the larger part of 60 minutes, I’d argue Miami were the better team. So, Neville does deserve some credit, at least in that department.

Ultimately though, individual mistakes and cheap fouls allowed Orlando to grow into the game, and it cost us. Similar to last week vs D.C. United, the bulk of our problems seem to lie on the ball, not off it. As per FotMob, Inter Miami only created a measly 0.57 xG (expected goals) last night. Chances were few and far between, and a Gonzalo Higuain wonder-strike doesn’t change that.

For most of the team, everything was one step forward, two steps back. For example, Matuidi had a great game in terms of winning the ball back and being an anchor in midfield, but looked lost in possession. Morgan and Shea performed very well out of possession, creating width for the team by hugging the touchline. However, both players had an uneventful night upon actually receiving the ball.

Overall, we were simply beat by a better team, with superior players and a more experienced coach. As we’re all aware, football is a game of fine margins. Miami’s performance probably deserved a draw, and a fantastic goal by a world class player doesn’t change that. I won’t sit here and act as if our problems have suddenly disappeared, but it’s important to take positives when we can. Next week, a trip to New Jersey awaits Phil Neville’s men, as they take on fellow MLS bottom feeders, Montreal Impact.