Inter Miami has to settle for tie after giving up late goal
Inter Miami came three minutes short of a preseason win over the Columbus Crew, but surrendered a late tying goal and settled for a 1-1 tie on Saturday in the opener of the 2022 Carolina Challenge Cup in Charleston, South Carolina.
Miami played stingy defense from the start and took the lead in the 59th minute when speedy newcomer Ariel Lassiter, son of former MLS star Roy Lassiter, collected a perfect long diagonal pass into the box from a retreated
Gonzalo Higuain and knocked it into the net.
“With my pace it opens up space for him to drop back and get on the ball, and teams are afraid of him getting the ball and turning so it leaves space behind for me,” Lassiter said.
Derrick Etienne scored the equalizer in the 87th minute after several Miami starters had been subbed.
“Lot of positives, defensively we were very solid for the majority of the match,” said Inter Miami assistant coach Jason Kreis. “Late in the match after we made so many changes, we saw a little bit of chaos that allowed the goal that equalized the game. But the biggest highlight of the game was how stable we looked defensively without the ball.”
Victor Ulloa suffered a slight calf pull in the first half and left the game. Kreis said it does not appear serious and should be a short-term issue. The team plays again Tuesday against the Charleston Battery.
Elsewhere: Chelsea extended Europe’s domination of the Club World Cup by beating Palmeiras 2-1 after extra time at Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, to win the intercontinental title for the first time . ... Defending champion Lille snapped a twogame losing streak with a scrappy 1-0 win at Montpellier in the French league to move back into the race for the European spots . ... Promoted Bochum stunned Bayern Munich and the Bundesliga with a 4-2 win over the Bavarian powerhouse, preventing the league leader from going 12 points clear.
AETC.
MLB: The final blow has been dealt to an ontime start to spring training, with Major League Baseball making a new offer Saturday that the players’ association received as only scant progress in the drawn-out labor talks.
Tennis: Top-seeded players Casper Ruud and Diego Schwartzman will play in Sunday’s final of the Argentina Open. Ruud beat Argentinian Federico Delbonis 6-3, 6-3 on Saturday. Hours later, Schwartzman topped thirdseeded player Lorenzo Sonego of Italy in a tense match by 7-5, 3-6, 6-2.
College football: Marshall, Old Dominion and Southern Mississippi plan to end their affiliations with Conference USA a year early in order to join the Sun Belt.
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