MLS teams ‘CAN beat’ Inter Miami this season, insists Taylor Twellman after Lionel Messi and Co stumbled to a 2-0 win over Real Salt Lake in their season opener

• Before Wednesday, Inter Miami won just one of their seven preseason fixtures
• The Herons will head west to face the LA Galaxy in their next game on Sunday 
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Despite securing a 2-0 win over Real Salt Lake at Chase Stadium, MLS analyst Taylor Twellman insisted that Inter Miami looked beatable in their season opener.

While the scoreboard favored Lionel Messi and company, Twellman was critical about their overall performance. During the game, he suggested that clubs across MLS may have stopped looking at Inter Miami with rose-colored lenses. 

‘Not many teams will be watching this tonight and think ‘there is no way we can beat Inter Miami,” Twellman said on commentary. 

‘The amount of chances Salt Lake have had,’ he continued. ‘You can get after Inter Miami. The teams in the east will be looking at this and thinking ‘If we’re up for it athletically and can put pressure on them then we can make it tough.”

His criticism came after Inter Miami allowed Real Salt Lake to take 17 shots. Although only two were on frame, the Herons’ defense, on multiple occasions, gave the ball away when under pressure.

Inter Miami dominated much of the first half and went into the break with a 1-0 lead behind Robert Taylor’s goal in the 39th minute. 

However, Real Salt Lake came back swinging after the intermission but missed their valuable opportunities to draw the game. While Inter Miami secured three points with a second goal from Diego Gomez in the 83rd, their defensive vulnerability became a glaring issue in the second half. 

The visitors nearly took half of the possession, controlling 44.9 per cent of the game after 90 minutes and change. 

Postgame, Inter Miami manager Tata Martino spoke about their lapses and admitted that they were lucky to escape with the win. 

‘Unfortunately we still owe ourselves a better second half that for us, the coaching staff, is where we have to focus on and correct because the opponents can hurt us,’ Martino said. ‘We had the fortune today that Salt Lake didn’t hurt us but that won’t be the case always. 

‘Letting the opponent come back into the game when there’s no need to do that and only because of the many mistakes we made coming out of the back could generate a lot of damage for us in the future.’

The win comes as a refresher after Inter Miami won just one of their seven preseason fixtures. It was also the MLS debut for Luis Suarez who did not find much success in the game. 

The Herons will travel west for their next fixture as they gear up to face the LA Galaxy on Sunday.