RECAP: Inter Miami edges Crew in battle of unbeaten teams
Cremaschi’s ‘Superman’ header delivers 1-0 win against Columbus in Cleveland; Herons begin preparing for mid-week Champions Cup match in Vancouver.
The Pink & Black scored first and defended their goal fiercely Saturday, eking out a 1-0 win against the Columbus Crew in a game between the last unbeaten teams in MLS.
Columbus Crew defender Malte Amundsen was among the players who shut down Lionel Messi on Saturday in Cleveland. PHOTO: Ken Blaze/Imagyn Images
Benjamin Cremaschi, 20, a homegrown midfielder from Key Biscayne, Fla., scored the game’s only goal in the 30th minute.
The Herons started the match aggressively, forsaking their trademark “tiki-taka” possession-and-patience offense for a more direct attack, bombing long passes over the midfield toward runners Cremaschi and Tadeo Allende.
Striker Luis Suarez started the scoring play with a long outlet pass down the right channel. Right wingback Chelo Weigandt sprinted to the ball and whipped a shoulder-high cross across the goal mouth. Cremaschi, following the play into the box, did a fair Superman impression, diving forward parallel to the ground; despite a defender diving with him, Cremaschi headed the ball into the goal for his first score of the 2025 MLS season.
Columbus, winners of the 2023 MLS Cup and 2024 Leagues Cup and runners-to Mexican side Pachuca in the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup under reigning MLS Coach of the Year Wilfried Nancy, remains a highly competitive squad despite the departure of forwards Cucho Hernandez (sold to Real Betis of Spain’s La Liga) and Christian Ramirez (traded to Los Angeles Galaxy).
Getting defensive
Nancy’s squad controlled possession for much of the match, especially in the second half when Miami coach Javier Mascherano opted pull his team back into a defensive pack in the 18-yard box.
The Crew had the ball almost 60 percent of the match, outshot Miami 16-6, completed almost 200 more passes and had three times as many crosses, 12-4. But Ustari had three saves, Miami’s defenders blocked six shots and seven were off target. When the match ended, the team in yellow had amassed 3.1 expected goals to just 0.5 for Inter Miami. But the Herons defied expectations.
BY THE NUMBERS
• 1 — Inter Miami CF (5-0-3) is the only undefeated team left in MLS after its 1-0 win against Columbus (5-1-3).
• 1 — The winning goal was the first of the season by 20-year-old homegrown midfielder Benjamin Cremaschi.
2.25 — The Herons have earned 18 points in eight MLS matches for a league-best 2.25 points-per-game average. Vancouver, with 20 points, and Charlotte and Cincinnati, with 19 each, are currently ahead of Miami in the Supporters Shield standings but all three have played one match more than the Herons.
• 7 — Inter Miami finished the match with seven defenders on the pitch in front of goalkeeper Oscar Ustari: Jordi Alba, Noah Allen, Gonzalo Lujan, Toto Aviles, Maxi Falcon, Sergio Busquets and David Martinez. Fafa Picault, Telasco Segovia and Lionel Messi were the only attacking players.
• 60,614 — The crowd was the largest to attend a non-NFL event at Cleveland’s Huntington Bank Field.
Getting defensive, Part II
Mascherano made wholesale defensive changes beginning in the 68th minute when he brought Telasco Segovia in to relieve Suarez (although backup striker Allen Obando was available).
Defensive backs Tomas “Toto” Aviles and Maxi Falcon and winger Fafa Picault entered in the 77th minute, relieving Weigandt, Yannick Bright and Tadeo Allende. Center back David Martinez, making his first appearance since suffering a leg injury March 25 against Charlotte FC, came on for Cremaschi in the 88th minute, giving the Herons seven primarily defensive players in front of Ustari to close out the match.
“I clearly don’t like [a low block], but sometimes the opposition plays and subdues you and you have to know how to suffer and live with it.”
— Javier Mascherano, IMCF
Mascherano said his defensive strategy was necessary to counter Columbus’ attacking style.
“I said we had to be very good in defense in order to neutralize them, because they are an attacking team,” Mascherano said after the match according to 101greatgoals.com. “I clearly don’t like [a low block], but sometimes the opposition plays and subdues you and you have to know how to suffer and live with it.“
Three of the Fantastic Four — Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets and Lionel Messi — played the entire match (only Suarez was rested). Messi appeared tired in the second half, causing an MLS Season Pass broadcaster to comment on his fitness, a concern because of muscle injuries that caused Messi to miss matches earlier in the season.
Mascherano said after the match that, as far as he knew at the time, the star forward is fine.
“Not that I know. Nothing happened to him. I didn’t see him leave the dressing room but, as far as I know, there’s nothing,” Mascherano told reporters after the match according to 101goals.com. “I will ask the doctors, but they haven’t told me anything.”
The Herons have five wins and three draws — with a plus-seven difference between goals scored and allowed — in eight league matches, earning them 18 points and third place in the Eastern Conference. Only Western Conference leader Vancouver (6-1-2, 20 points, +11 goal difference) and Eastern Conference hopefuls Charlotte (6-2-1, 19 points, +9), FC Cincinnati (6-2-1, 19 points, +2) and Columbus (5-1-3, 18 points, +5) have as many or more points than the Herons, but they all have played one match more than Miami.
Inter Miami is 5-1-0 in Concacaf Champions Cup play, losing 1-0 at Los Angeles FC in the quarterfinals before winning the home match 3-1 the following week to advance to the Cup semifinals for the first time. The team is 10-1-3 in competitive play this year (MLS regular season and Champions Cup matches) and 13-1-5 counting preseason friendlies.
The Herons play the first leg of the home-and-away Champions Cup semifinal Thursday at Vancouver, followed by an MLS regular-season date with FC Dallas on Sunday, April 27.
The Champions Cup semifinal second leg will be played Wednesday, April 30, at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale. The winner of the Miami-Vancouver semifinal will play the Cruz Azul-Tigres winner in a one-match final June 1.