Duncan McGuire’s ninth goal of the season came at a crucial moment in the second half, securing a 1-1 draw for Orlando City against a depleted Inter Miami on Sunday night.
This goal solidified Orlando’s undefeated record in their five home meetings against Miami. It was even more impressive considering Orlando’s recent qualification for the 2023 MLS Cup playoffs, despite a previous loss to New York City FC.
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McGuire’s equalizer canceled out David Ruiz’s first goal for Inter Miami, who were missing key players Lionel Messi, Jordi Alba, and Sergio Busquets.
Messi was sidelined due to scar tissue issues, while Alba suffered from muscle pain. Busquets, the third former Barcelona teammate, was rested in preparation for the U.S. Open Cup final against the Houston Dynamo on Wednesday.
Orlando (14-7-9, 51 points) outshot Miami with a 13-9 lead and had six shots on target compared to Miami’s five. These numbers were not as dominating as expected, considering the absence of key players.
Miami (9-15-5, 32 points) remains in 14th place in the Eastern Conference, but is only five points behind New York City FC for the final playoff spot with two games in hand.
Both NYCFC (37 points) and 10th-place D.C. United (36 points) have played two more league matches than Miami, who are hopeful for the return of Messi and Alba to boost their chances in the upcoming games.
After a strong first half performance by Orlando, Miami took the lead early in the second half through a swift attack. Dixon Arroyo intercepted the ball in midfield and set up Leonardo Campana with a through ball.
Campana then passed the ball forward to Josef Martinez, whose shot from the left side of the penalty area was saved by goalkeeper Pedro Gallese. However, Ruiz capitalized on the rebound and scored before Gallese could react.
McGuire’s equalizer also started with a turnover in midfield, with Dagur Thorhallsson, Martin Ojeda, and Wilder Cartagena all involved in the build-up.
Ojeda managed to slip a ball through a Miami defender, which McGuire latched onto and neatly placed between goalkeeper Drake Callender’s legs.
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