Inter Miami CF kept on rolling Saturday night, extending their undefeated streak to five games with a 2–1 win over the Philadelphia Union while overtaking first place in the Eastern Conference.
Lionel Messi scored the eventual winning goal in the 57th minute and nearly added a second goal on Miami’s final attempt of the night, bringing him to two goals and two assists in just 215 minutes this season.
While Philadelphia controlled most of the game and had more scoring chances, the Herons seem unrivaled right now. Veteran skill and exciting young depth have established them as the best regular-season team in MLS for the second year in a row.
With four wins and a draw after five matches, takes a look at three key takeaways from Matchday 6 against the Union.
Inter Miami Are Unrivaled
If there was any team in the MLS Eastern Conference that could topple Inter Miami, it was the well-coached and balanced Philadelphia Union. Despite sitting atop the standings heading into the match, the Union faltered once early and couldn’t find their way back level.
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The Union's effort may have been the best of any club this season, though, as they went toe-to-toe with Miami and didn’t drop into a low block to neutralize any of Miami’s threats. In those efforts, they put up 19 shots to Miami’s seven and 1.65 expected goals, coming within inches of tying the game in the final moments, after Daniel Gazdag scored in the 80th minute to bring the match within a goal.
