Inter Miami Player Ratings: Marsman, Makoun, Shea hold up well in narrow loss vs. Atlanta United
The three best performance levels came in defense while the attack was wasteful up front in the demoralizing defeat
Inter Miami turned in a good performance, but it did not get a good result.
A spot in the playoffs moved further out of reach for Inter Miami on Wednesday night following a demoralizing 2-1 road loss to Atlanta United. The defeat left the Herons on the brink of elimination and hanging on by a fingernail, with the result coming in spite of a solid overall showing at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.
The likes of Nick Marsman, Christian Makoun, and Brek Shea led the way for the South Florida side with strong outings, but attackers Gonzalo Higuain and Robbie Robinson were some of the players who delivered subpar shifts that contributed to the team’s midweek demise.
Here are the Inter Miami Player Ratings after the narrow but frustrating loss to Atlanta United:
Nick Marsman (8) — His passing was less accurate than normal, but he made one great save, five other blocks, came off his line well a couple times to thwart danger, and was good at distributing with long throws.
Kelvin Leerdam (6.5) — Raced forward well again to provide an effective overlapping threat down the right while also surrendering the free kick that led to the equalizer.
Leandro Gonzalez Pirez (5) — Was solid until the goals were conceded, as the tying shot went past him in the wall before he lost Josef Martinez on the winner.
Nicolas Figal (6) — Defended well for much of his time on the field in his return from injury, though he seemed a bit too agitated and aggressive at points.
Christian Makoun (7) — Raffled the ball often with clearances rather than trying to keep the ball on the ground, but had some good interventions at the back and also hit a gorgeous cross in late that should have been scored.
Brek Shea (7) — Delivered the ball that led to the first-half penalty in an overall solid and professional display that saw him hold his own.
Jay Chapman (6.5) — Had a better first half than second, but was overall a presence in the midfield felt with contributions on both sides of the ball.
Gregore (6) — The captain was competent in the center of the park without playing up to his usual high level.
Lewis Morgan (5.5) — Forced things a bit too much and failed to make the most of his opportunities, but he earned the penalty with his industry.
Gonzalo Higuain (5.5) — Decent with the ball but not efficient enough in front of goal, scoring the spot kick before wasting a glorious chance to make the score 2-0.
Rodolfo Pizarro (4.5) — Got his share of touches down the left without ever being overly threatening or influential.
Indiana Vassilev (5.5) — Came in off the bench and moved the ball well in addition to providing some energy during his 26-minute shift.
Robbie Robinson (4) — He could have been the super sub if his finishing had not been so poor, as he failed to put a decent look on frame before later wasting an open header.
Federico Higuain (5.5) — Quickly got himself involved in proceedings after entering in the 71st minute, but could not make the difference.
Julian Carranza (4.5) — Finished with seven touches while also not being much of a scoring threat during his nine-minute cameo.
Phil Neville (6.5) — Reverting back to the 5-2-3 look worked, as the team competed well for much of the game and created enough chances to win. His subs did not make much of a positive impact after the side lost a good bit of its control after halftime, though.