Analyzing Inter Miami: Good fortune amid controversy, Makoun keeps rising, and more
Three takeaways from Inter Miami’s dramatic and controversial 1-0 win over Toronto FC
If Columbus Crew head coach Caleb Porter still thinks referees are out to help Inter Miami, Tuesday night will have done little to change his mind.
Lady Luck smiled down on Inter Miami in the team’s most recent win — a dramatic, eventful, and controversial 1-0 victory away to 10-man Toronto FC that pushed the South Florida side above the playoff line in the Eastern Conference at long last. While that accomplishment will be what matters most to Inter Miami, the manner in which it came was dubious and polemical.
Minutes before Christian Makoun scored the stoppage-time winner, Toronto FC argued vehemently that it had found the back of the net. Jacob Shaffelburg had fired a hard shot on frame in the 87th minute after pouncing on an ill-advised pass from Inter Miami goalkeeper Nick Marsman, who proceeded to dive into the goal to block the Toronto FC player’s effort.
Marsman made the save, but it looked like the ball had completely crossed the goal line before he did. What followed was what you would expect: Toronto FC players saying it was a goal and Inter Miami’s saying it was not.
Fortunately for Inter Miami, none of the camera angles at BMO Field in Toronto, Ontario, showed a definitive view as to whether all of the ball had gone in. There are certainly images (like the ones below) that make it seem like that was the case, but you could not say with 100 percent certainty. The laws of the game say there must be a clear and obvious error for VAR to overturn a call, and this was not clear or obvious. Not enough anyway.
What’s more, MLS — a league that was a staunch advocate for introducing video review into the sport — strangely does not have goal-line technology to determine whether balls have crossed the goal-line. Advantage: Inter Miami.
That play was not the only one in which Inter Miami lucked out, however. The decisive penalty from Makoun deep in stoppage time should also have been retaken. Players from both teams entered the 18-yard box before Makoun made contact with the ball — a result of his unconventional run-up — and per rules the goal should have been negated for double encroachment and the spot kick done again.
Head official Ramy Touchan — who had a questionable overall showing even prior to these late plays — did not make the call, though. Again, advantage Inter Miami.
Toronto FC has every right to be miffed about how this one ended, but a common belief among coaches and teams is that these types of controversial calls tend to even out over the course of the season. After all, let us not forget the Herons were on the wrong end of some questionable handball no-calls in the 1-1 draw vs. Atlanta United back on May 9.
Regardless of how you look at it, good fortune rained down on Inter Miami on Tuesday night in Toronto and sometimes it is better to be lucky than good.
“We were probably lucky tonight to win a game of football,” said Inter Miami head coach Phil Neville, who admitted he was wearing a superstitious good luck hat, on Tuesday.
Makoun continues to raise his stock with decisive display
Christian Makoun is 21-years old. He is a centerback these days. He has also never proven to be much of a goal-scorer during the early parts of his young career.
None of that stopped him from showing the confidence to fend off players like a World Cup winner en route to delivering a decisive goal with authority.
Makoun continued to raise his stock with Inter Miami by turning in a game-winning shift that saw him open his MLS account in impressive fashion. The Venezuelan scored the decider in the narrow victory in the 95th minute, tucking away a penalty with good precision to the bottom right corner following a stuttering run-up that looked to come from a page in compatriot Josef Martinez’s book.
For the youngster to come through in that moment is certainly notable, but making it even more so is that Makoun appeared to tell more experienced players like Blaise Matuidi and Lewis Morgan that the penalty was his. The defender — who picked up the ball as soon as the foul was called as if to say it was his — was unafraid of the moment and wanted all the responsibility of converting from the spot.
“When I was fouled for the penalty, I was already decided where I was going with it,” said Makoun — who celebrated his winner with a dinosaur impersonation since he is nicknamed after that extinct animal — in Spanish. “I have practiced penalties for a long time. It might be strange to see a defender take them, but I know I can do them well.”
As if exuding that confidence was not already impressive enough, it was Makoun who drew the penalty with a great piece of attacking soccer. He pushed forward with the ball and showed his good feet by pulling off a pair of 1-2 passes with teammates before being brought down in the penalty area.
Of course, Makoun also continued to quietly but impressively do his defensive job at the back. He was almost never troubled from the run of play, came up with some key interventions, and also finished the game as the Inter Miami starter with the highest passing completion rate at 96.8 percent.
That type of strong display has become the norm for Makoun in recent months. He just now has a deserved reward in the form of a goal to show for it.
“We won a game of football because of the courage of probably a player that just keeps growing and getting better and better,” said Neville. “That was Christian Makoun and the way he went forward to win the penalty and then the courage to stand up and take the penalty I thought was sensational. That boy is going right to the very top with that kind of attitude, confidence, and bravery. “
Team failed to translate the man advantage into run of play
The most important thing for Inter Miami after this match was winning and moving above the playoff line, but the gloss of the final result is not enough to completely overshadow the drab collective performance put forth.
Inter Miami played up a man for more than a half in this road game against the worst team in MLS, but could not translate that numerical superiority into dominance from the run of play. Worse yet was that it was Toronto FC that looked to be playing with 11 players at times and not Inter Miami, as the Canadian side was the more dangerous side during the second half. The Herons were not only outshot 10-9, but also finished winning the possession by the slimmest of margins.
You could be tempted to point to the rotation of players in the starting lineup as a reason for the poor showing, but Toronto FC was also missing a number of regulars. Inter Miami should have been more dangerous and dominant after Kemar Lawrence’s ejection in the 37th minute, and that the team was not is both concerning and something to keep an eye on. Especially given the continued attacking struggles that have been on display in recent matches.
Inter Miami may have found a way to win this one and there is merit in that, but the result was flattering given the performance level and probably two points more than the team deserved.
“I want us to play better,” said Neville. “I want us to control the games better, I want us to be less careless in possession and that is the challenge.”