Houston secured victory in the Cup with goals from Griffin Dorsey and Amine Bassi in the first half, marking their second Cup win after their 2018 triumph. However, the absence of Miami’s star player, Messi, due to a lingering leg injury from his time with Argentina in September, put the home side at a distinct disadvantage.
Messi had previously missed Miami’s game against Orlando City, and his availability for the upcoming MLS regular season match against New York City FC remained uncertain, with Miami trailing by five points for the final MLS Cup playoff spot.
The match took place on a rain-soaked pitch, causing Inter Miami to struggle early on. They had difficulty maintaining possession and made some costly turnovers. One such turnover, initiated by midfielder Facundo Farías, led to Houston’s opening goal.
Farías lost possession near midfield, and Houston capitalized on the opportunity during a swift transition. Artur eventually found Dorsey, who made a powerful shot into the penalty area, beating Drake Callender to give the Dynamo a 1-0 lead.
Just minutes before this, Callender had made impressive consecutive saves to initially deny Houston’s scoring attempts, but he couldn’t prevent Dorsey’s goal.
In the 33rd minute, Houston earned a penalty when Quinones, who had been causing problems for Deandre Yedlin on the left wing throughout the first half, was fouled by Yedlin. Yedlin was also shown a yellow card. Bassi stepped up to take the penalty for Houston and placed it in the middle of the goal, eluding Callender’s diving attempt.
Although Houston primarily capitalized on quick transitions, Miami struggled to connect in the final third and couldn’t generate many scoring opportunities. Their best chance in the first half came in the 42nd minute when Benjamin Creamaschi had a clear shot at goal from just outside the box but sent his attempt over the crossbar.
Miami’s offensive prospects improved in the second half, but despite their efforts, they couldn’t break through without Messi, leaving Houston in the lead until stoppage time.
In the 73rd minute, it appeared that Houston had taken a commanding 3-0 lead when Quinones scored during a Dynamo counter-attack. However, after a review, Quinones was found to be offside, providing Miami with a glimmer of hope.
In the dying moments of stoppage time, Josef Martínez finally managed to score for Inter Miami. Despite a frenzied late push, Miami couldn’t equalize, resulting in a jubilant celebration for Houston both on the field and on the sidelines.
