Inter Miami's late rescue act masks a deeper problem in the East

Inter Miami CF drew 2-2 with FC Cincinnati at Nu Stadium on 28 October, all four goals arriving after half-time. Luis Suárez put the champions ahead in the 61st minute from a Casemiro assist, Cincinnati replied through Kenji Mboma Dem (80') and Samuel Gidi (86'), and Riquelme Fillipi scored his first MLS goal in the 90th minute to salvage a point. Lionel Messi started after being benched for the 2-0 defeat to the New York Red Bulls and was booked in the 44th minute; he did not score. Ian Fray blocked Evander's late attempt to win it for Cincinnati.

The result left Miami third in the Eastern Conference on 56 points, two behind New England, who beat Red Bull New York 3-2 the same evening to reach 58. Two matches remain, including Sunday's trip to Foxborough. That is the frame for everything else: a champion side still in the race, but no longer setting its terms.

Miami had 60 per cent of the ball, 14 shots to Cincinnati's 13, and four on target to three. They also recorded 28 touches in the opposition box against an average of 18.0 across their earlier 2026 matches, and four corners against an average of 2.4. By territory and volume, this was a performance of sustained pressure.

The expected goals tell a different story. Miami's 0.91 was well down on their earlier-season average of 1.53, and their open-play xG of 0.8 was down on 1.44. Neither side registered a big chance. Their goals minus expected goals figure was 1.09, against an average of 0.0 earlier in the season — a reminder that two goals from that shot quality is an outlier, not a baseline. Cincinnati, for their part, generated 0.71 xG and scored twice.

So the reports describing a pulsating late comeback and the raw numbers describing a low-quality attacking display are both accurate. Miami got into good areas without turning that territory into clear openings, then needed a 90th-minute finish to avoid defeat. That is not control; it is salvage.

Under Gerardo Martino in 2024, Miami took 2.18 points per game across 34 league matches — 22 wins, eight draws, four defeats. Under Cristian González in 2026, the record is three wins, two draws and two defeats from seven, or 1.57 points per game. The current sample is too short to call a trend, and the Campeones Cup title in González's first match shows what the group can produce. But the direction of travel is worth naming while it is still small enough to correct.

Summer arrivals Casemiro, Rodrigo De Paul, Germán Berterame, Sergio Reguilón, Riquelme Fillipi and Tadeo Allende, alongside the departures of Ricardo Montenegro and Benjamín Cremaschi, represent significant change. How many players came and went across the two seasons is not something officials have set out, and it would be wrong to put a number on it. What can be said is that a squad rebuilt around a new manager has not yet reproduced the points rate of the side it replaced.

Miami's recent league run reads: a 2-1 loss at Columbus, a 4-0 win over DC United, a 2-0 win over NYCFC, a 3-1 win at Atlanta, a 2-0 loss at the Red Bulls, then this draw. The wins have been convincing; the defeats have been flat. The draw sits awkwardly between the two.

Sunday at New England is the clearest test yet of whether the gap between process and points is closing. Win, and Miami go level on points with the side above them with one match left. Drop points, and the seeding argument tilts away from them. Either way, the question is not whether this team can produce late drama. It is whether it can win matches before drama becomes necessary.