Miami playoff hopes hit, Cincinnati secure top seed
Inter Miami’s MLS playoff hopes suffered a blow on Saturday as, without injured Lionel Messi, they drew 1-1 at home to New York City FC, while FC Cincinnati secured top seed in the Eastern Conference with a win at Toronto.
Messi, who had missed Wednesday’s US Open Cup final defeat to Houston and last week’s draw in the league at Orlando, was again missing with the injury which has troubled him since mid-September.
Without the Argentine and his former Barcelona team-mate Jordi Alba, who is out with a hamstring injury, Miami looked short of ideas.
After a lacklustre game, New York struck in the 77th minute with a fine individual goal from Santiago Rodriguez.
The Uruguayan brought down a long ball from Tayvon Gray and held off to Miami defenders as he turned before blasting into Drake Callender’s near post.
Miami hadn’t managed an effort on target in the entire 90 minutes but then in the fifth minute of stoppage time defender Tomas Aviles rose to head in a Robert Taylor corner.
The home side were desperately close to grabbing a dramatic late winner when David Ruiz burst into the box, but his drive from close range bounced out of the underside of the bar.
Miami are in 13th place in the East, four points behind ninth-placed Montreal, who occupy the final playoff spot, but with a game in hand on the Canadian team.
NYCFC are a point ahead of Montreal in eighth place.
A big night for Cincinnati saw them also win the Supporters’ Shield, for the best regular season record, after their 3-2 win over Toronto.
The Supporters’ Shield is the first trophy for Cincinnati since they joined MLS in 2019, a year after they won the second tier USL title.
Cincinnati took a 2-0 lead at the East’s bottom club Toronto, with two close-range goals from USA international striker Brandon Vazquez.
If Cincinnati’s thoughts were turning towards silverware they were given a shock as Toronto fought back before the break with a pair of goals from Jonathan Osorio.
But a left-foot finish in the 72nd minute from Aaron Boupendza, after good work from playmaker Luciano Acosta, made sure of the win and Cincinnati’s first honors in MLS.
Cincinnati had finished bottom overall in MLS in each of their first three seasons in the league but will now have home field advantage throughout the playoffs and for the MLS Cup final should they qualify.
Brazilian forward Joao Klauss scored twice as St.Louis City, top of the Western Conference and assured of a place in the playoffs, beat Sporting Kansas City 4-1.
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