Miami Clinch the MLS Shield with a Win against Columbus Crew

Columbus Crew 2-3 Inter Miami CF

Inter Miami secured the MLS Shield after a pulsating encounter against their biggest rivals, Columbus Crew.

Having sat atop the table for most of the season, Inter Miami have had things their own way more often than not, but they were forced to play second fiddle against a Columbus side being cheered on by an upbeat home crowd.

The Crew dominated possession in the opening twenty-five minutes and?? had the ball in the back of the net, only to be ruled offside. Miami also had a goal disallowed when Marcelo Weigandt connected with a cross from Lionel Messi, but the offside flag denied them the opening goal.

Messi was being crowded out as Columbus restricted his time on the ball. Indeed, the Miami captain was guilty of losing possession a number of times in the opening half as he struggled to find space.

The disallowed goal seemed to spark Inter into life, and they started to press higher up the pitch in search of an opening.

Sergio Busquets was in the thick of the action when he clashed with Mohamed Farsi, who stayed down and needed treatment after the incident. The referee was holding a yellow card in his hand, but the fans were calling for red.

But no cards were brandished in the end, confusing and infuriating the home supporters. However, it was a fifty-fifty ball that Busquets won, and the referee made the correct decision.

Columbus continued to look the more likely to score, creating more chances and testing the Inter Miami defense. Another Busquets challenge gave away a free kick on the edge of the area in a dangerous position.

The deflected freekick spun high into the air and caused confusion as time seemed to stand still, and the Columbus front line did the same. Drake Callender stopped his run but was eventually able to claim the ball safely.

Chances for Miami had been limited, but Messi created something from nothing when he controlled a long ball from Jordi Alba. He got lucky with a rebound, but he managed to poke the loose ball past the onrushing Patrick Schulte to open the scoring against the run of play.

It was a blow to the home side, but things were about to get worse.

Luis Suarez won a cheap free kick on the edge of the area and Messi stepped up to provide the magic that few can make. His perfectly directed shot gave Schulte no chance, and the keeper was left stranded as the ball hit the net.

The Crew were shell-shocked, but they came out in the second half fighting and got a goal back within twenty seconds. Farsi was making a nuisance of himself, and it paid off when the ball was played out to Diego Rossi. The Uruguayan composed himself and curled his shot beautifully around Callender, who had been left exposed.

Seconds later, Miami restored their two-goal advantage when a mix-up at the back saw Rudy Camacho collide with Schulte. Suarez was on hand to head the loose ball goalwards to score his eighteenth of the season and break the hearts of the home support.

They had something to cheer about on the hour mark when Columbus were awarded a penalty when Noah Allen was rather harshly found guilty of handball and Cucho Hernandez beat Callender. But just as a comeback was on the cards, Camacho was given a second yellow card and left the field, making the task much harder.

With the extra man, Miami started to enjoy more possession, but Columbus weren’t finished yet and got a second penalty when Ian Fray was also harshly penalized when the ball struck his arm.

Up stepped Hernandez, but he couldn’t beat Callender a second time, and the keeper made a good stop that ultimately won his side the match and confirmed the MLS Shield.

It was a hard-fought win for Miami, who weren’t at their best, but it summed up their season. The team constantly worked hard for each other, and they never stopped running.