A first-half red card for Brek Shea sealed another defeat for Inter Miami CF, who fell 2-0 at home to an in-form LAFC on Saturday afternoon at DRV PNK Stadium.
A match that started slowly imploded quickly for the Herons. After waiting 40 minutes for the first shot on goal from either team, the Black & Gold pounced quickly. Kwadwo Opoku took advantage of a deflected pass and sloppy Miami marking before finding the net from a tight angle.
Shea compounded Miami's problems just two minutes later. The veteran midfielder-turned-defender was shown a straight red card for a foul on Brian RodrÃguez, thoroughly swinging momentum LAFC's way going into the break.
Amid gale-force winds and pouring rain, Ismael Tajouri-Shradi capped off the afternoon for the visitors. The second-half substitute's driven free kick went untouched through the box on its way past a stranded Clement Diop, putting the final nail in Miami's second home match of the 2022 campaign.
Three Things
- THE BIG PICTURE: LAFC continue their strong start under new manager Steve Cherundolo, with the added bonus of Carlos Vela's inclusion in the starting lineup after last week's injury scare. Miami find themselves on a different trajectory, with just one point from three matches and a lot of work to do.
- MOMENT OF THE MATCH: Brek Shea's first-half red card sealed Miami's fate. Already down a goal, going down to 10 men for a full half proved too big a hill for the Herons to climb.
- MAN OF THE MATCH: Ilie Sánchez ran the show in the heart of LAFC's midfield, setting the tempo and ensuring they controlled the game against 10 men.
Next Up
- MIA: Saturday, March 19 at FC Cincinnati | 1:00 pm ET (MLS LIVE on ESPN+ in US, DAZN in Canada)
- LAFC: Sunday, March 20 vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 10:00 pm ET (MLS LIVE on ESPN+ in US, DAZN in Canada)
