Inter Miami’s MLS season opener against New York City FC was full of drama, with several turns alone in the first half. After scoring Heron’s first goal from a brilliant assist by Lionel Messi, center back Tomas Aviles was shown a red card after a late tackle.
Just five minutes into the match, Inter Miami took the lead when Messi and Jordi Alba played a perfect one-two and set up Messi to deliver an exact ball to Aviles, who simply had to tap it.
But things quickly took a trip in the 22nd minute. When NYC FC’s Alonso Martinez was in a one-to-one situation with goalkeeper Oscar Ustari, Aviles made a rash from the back and earned a red card from the referee Rosendo Mendoza shortly after opening the point.
Lmao target scores collect a red card
The foul turned out to be costly, as NYC FC leveled just minutes later. A well-executed set piece led to Maximiliano Moralez sent a point pass to Mitja Ilenič, who ended clinically to compare the point.
Fafa Picault’s disastrous MLS debut
Fafa Picault, a free agent signed from Vancouver Whitecaps, was one of the new faces for Inter Miami during the 2025 MLS season. The Haitian forward had impressed for the season, including the Concacaf Champions Cup against Sporting Kansas City. But his MLS debut took a trip to the worse.
Just 10 minutes into the match Picault fell to the ground after seemingly suffering a muscle injury. He was replaced by Robert Taylor and left Inter Miami down an attack option early in the game.
*Development history …
