Inter Miami Player Ratings: Gonzalo Higuain, Rodolfo Pizarro shine in rout of FC Cincinnati
The two Designated Players were the brightest performers in a game littered with strong individual showings
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Inter Miami lives to fight another day.
Five different players got on the scoresheet for Inter Miami this past Saturday as the team kept its playoff hopes in tact with a 5-1 blowout win against FC Cincinnati. The victory at Drv Pnk Stadium was the biggest in franchise history, and almost every player on the South Florida side enjoyed a good performance level in it.
Gonzalo Higuain led the way with a goal and two direct assists, and fellow Designated Player Rodolfo Pizarro also impressed with what may have been his best game of the year. Other players who stood out were Kelvin Leerdam and Aime Mabika, but, like the goals, the strong showings came in abundance in this one.
Here are the Inter Miami Player Ratings following the convincing win over FC Cincinnati:
Nick Marsman (8) — The final result overshadowed just how busy he was, making seven good saves while continuing to distribute well from the back.
Kelvin Leerdam (8) — Pulled off a nifty move on the ball to help set up the winner and was a real threat in the second half with his marauding runs forward.
Aime Mabika (8) — Held up really well defensively in his second start and showed off some good passing range with a pair of delightful through balls that sparked attacks.
Christian Makoun (6) — Lost his mark on the Brandon Vazquez equalizer due to too much ball-watching, but was otherwise mostly sturdy at the back.
Brek Shea (6.5) — Projected forward very well in the first half and was overall solid while also being partially at fault for the tying goal by not closing down the space to prevent the cross.
Gregore (5.5) — Had his share of trouble marking the shifty Luciano Acosta and winning the ball at times, but came up with a lot of his usual defensive interventions.
Blaise Matuidi (5) — Accurate with his passing without being overly influential on either side of the ball in a serviceable shift.
Lewis Morgan (7.5) — Penetrated FC Cincinnati with his dribbling and scored a well-taken insurance goal after making a fantastic diagonal run.
Federico Higuain (8) — Scored another early goal with a quality header and picked out his brother for the game-winner with a sublime cross in the midfielder’s latest impactful performance.
Rodolfo Pizarro (8.5) — Delivered two assists and successfully pulled off an array of moves to progress the ball forward into the final third repeatedly in what was his best game of the year.
Gonzalo Higuain (8.5) — Put on a masterful performance after a frustrating first half, scoring the decider with aplomb while also dishing out perfectly-weighted through balls to set up two other goals.
Indiana Vassilev (6) — Took his chance well to get on the scoresheet and brought his usual energy during his 25-minute outing.
Jay Chapman (5.5) — Saw a good bit of the ball and passed precisely during his substitute cameo.
Ventura Alvarado (5) — Should have had a penalty called against him for a handball in the second half, but the substitute was fine aside from that in his team debut.
Sami Guediri (5.5) — Helped close things up at the back with a few interventions after entering late.
Julian Carranza (6) — Wasted little time in making an impact, scoring with a clinical finish seconds after being subbed on to notch his first goal of the season.
Phil Neville (7.5) — A tale of two halves for his team, which wasted opportunities and gave up looks in the opening stanza before finding its finishing touch to blow the game wide open during the closing 45 minutes.
What an amazing second half if only we played this formation the whole season!!!