FC Dallas’ homegrown ꜱtгiker, Ferreira, made an immediate impact in front of his hometown crowd by scoring the opening goal just three minutes into the match against Inter Miami. Despite Inter Miami controlling possession for most of the game, Ferreira’s goal remained the only one. Inter Miami had their chances, including a notable attempt by Messi, but FC Dallas goalkeeper Paes made crucial saves to keep them at bay. In the second half, Miami had opportunities through Suarez and Campana, but their efforts were thwarted by offside calls. The star-studded trio of Messi, Suarez, and Busquets played for 64 minutes before being substituted, following their 45-minute appearance in a previous draw with El Salvador.

We’re not concerned just yet, but Inter Miami’s offensive has struggled badly in the first two games. Suarez hasn’t looked like himself in these first two matches, and he’s ꜱtгuggled to get going and create chances in the final third. It will undoubtedly come, especially with Messi feeding him, but it has been made abundantly clear that even the Barcelona team has some rust to shake off as the regular season approaches. Another question is whether Martino’s 5-3-2 system is the best fit for their current lineup, particularly given the chemistry between Robert Taylor and Messi last season.

Inter Miami’s preseason tour will now take them to Saudi Arabia, where they will face Al-Hilal and, of course, Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr. Following those two matches on January 29 and February 1, Miami will travel to Asia to face the Hong Kong XI on February 4 and Vissel Kobe on February 7, before concluding the preseason with a visit from Messi’s childhood club, Newell’s Old Boys, on February 15.