Messi and Miami remain unbeaten, but were blanked for the first time this season to fall behind Vancouver in standings
Lionel Messi and Inter Miami were held to a draw for the second-straight MLS weekend, with the taking a point on the road in a scoreless draw with Gregg Berhalter's Chicago Fire Sunday night.
On Matchday 7, the South Beach club drew Toronto FC 1-1. Coupled with Sunday's draw, they've taken just two of a possible six in their last two matches – and as a result, fell out of first place in the Eastern Conference, trailing Supporters' Shield leaders Vancouver Whitecaps by four.
Messi continues to be a draw for MLS clubs, as Chicago set a home attendance record of more than 62,000 fans for the match at Soldier Field.
There were chances for both clubs to find a winner on the day, but stellar goalkeeping from Miami's Oscar Ustari and Chicago's Chris Brady ultimately kept the match at a stalemate through. For Miami, their best opportunities both came from set pieces, but Lionel Messi hit the woodwork not once, but twice from direct free-kick situations.
However, from the open of play, Miami struggled to get anything going. Luis Suarez thought he'd found a winner late, but the former Uruguay international was offside by a wide margin after finding the back of the net in the closing minutes.
Chicago, meanwhile, tested Miami's defense multiple times with the trio of Hugo Cuypers, Jonathan Bamba and Philip Zinckernagel all proving to be effective in creating opportunities. Ustari's heroics in net, which included seven saves, kept Miami in the match.
Miami, despite the draw, are still unbeaten to begin the MLS campaign – though Sunday was their first shutout this season. However, with consecutive draws, their early-season lead on the rest of the league has dwindled.
GOAL rates Inter Miami's players from Soldier Field.
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Oscar Ustari (9/10):
Made a few really impressive saves, and was imposing in his box. A good performance from the veteran who helped maintain a point.
Noah Allen (7/10):
Replaced Jordi Alba in the XI and, while he did not drive forward as much, was incredibly solid.
Tomas Aviles (7/10):
Was rather solid centrally. Stayed composed, read the game well and was imposing on the ball.
Maxi Falcon (5/10):
Often drawn out of position, but recovered well in moments. He left Miami's defense vulnerable, though, and without Ustari – it could have been a different game.
Gonzalo Lujan (6/10):
Good showing on his flank when off the ball. Lacked a bit of forward influence, but Miami needed him defensively sound and he was just that.
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Benjamin Cremaschi (5/10):
Not his best performance. Constantly struggled with the final pass, and he never asserted himself in the middle of the park physically.
Federico Redondo (6/10):
Fantastic next to Busquets defensively. However, he left a bit on the plate when going forward – never really managed to influence the game.
Sergio Busquets (7/10):
So calm and composed on the ball. Really controlled the tempo of the match well.
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Telasco Segovia (4/10):
Really poor in the attack. Was rather nonexistent throughout his 60 minutes on the pitch.
Luis Suarez (5/10):
Earned an early yellow card for an atrocious foul, launched a 1v1 effort over the net, but played some extraordinary passes and had exceptional hold-up play. Not a good performance, but he was influential.
Lionel Messi (6/10):
So clever on the ball around the box, but never managed an impact outside of set piece attempts or drawing the fouls that led to them. Hit the woodwork twice from direct free-kick opportunities.
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Tadeo Allende (6/10):
Replaced Segovia, but never found himself in the attack.
Yannick Bright (7/10):
Composed in the midfield after coming on, and didn't allow Chicago much time on the ball. A good cameo.
Jordi Alba (6/10):
A rare substitute appearance, but after being brought into the match, had very little impact. Drove forward well, but never influenced the game.
Javier Mascherano (5/10):
Had no real answers in the attack. His midfield was incredibly composed, but Miami could never get over the line in the final-third. At some point, he'll have to try something other than Suarez at the 9, as he was a liability at times throughout the match. He might want to focus less on his matchday outfit and more on finding three points going forward.