Inter Miami CF secured a point on Saturday night, playing to a scoreless draw against FC Cincinnati at Chase Stadium despite being without the suspended Lionel Messi and Jordi Alba.
While neither side were able to find the back of the net, the match saw plenty of chances through the second half go wasted, in addition to two controversial calls not to award penalties.
Miami can likely count themselves lucky, after a foul was called on Cincinnati defender Miles Robinson in the second minute of second-half stoppage time. He had headed the ball past goalkeeper Rocco Rios Novo, before it was called back.
Miles Robinson finds the back of the net but it's called back 👀 pic.twitter.com/u8UyeR8ibI
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 27, 2025
With the draw, Miami remain fifth in the Eastern Conference, and will look forward to their next match, which comes as their Leagues Cup opener against Liga MX’s Atlas on July 30.
Here are Sports Illustrated’s takeaways from the scoreless draw.
Messi's Absence More Significant Than 2024
Since Messi joined Inter Miami in the summer of 2023, the club has generally had a roster that can withstand his absence. Last season, they played without him for an extended period due to the Copa América and a subsequent injury, yet still went on to win the MLS Supporters’ Shield with the best regular-season points record.
Yet, they are not as well-rounded a team in 2025, and that was evident on Saturday night, as Suárez and Picault struggled to finish their few chances, and the team looked short on ideas when it came to set pieces.
Miami finished the night with 13 shots and 1.19 expected goals, but lacked the talent to find a breakthrough, despite Sergio Busquets and Federico Redondo providing ample chances through transition.
While adding Rodrigo De Paul helps elevate the team’s overall level, more depth is needed in attack, especially with Suárez, who has scored just five goals this season and consistently appears frustrated with his play.
The transfer window is open until Aug. 21, should David Beckham, Jorge Mas and the rest of the ownership feel the need for improvements. However, it could be challenging, as the team already has to be highly creative to fit the players they already have.
Benjamin Cremaschi Steps Up for Alba
As much as striker depth is a missing factor for Inter Miami, the left-back situation is even more dire, with Jordi Alba the lone outright starter on the roster at the moment. With the Spanish veteran suspended, it led to 20-year-old Benjamin Cremaschi taking on the role, and the club signed Cesar Abadia-Reda from Inter Miami II.
Even though the match was Cremaschi’s first-ever game in the position, he was one of the better players on the pitch. The early moments saw him drift out of the back four, but once he settled, his distribution and ability stood out as a key transitional factor for the Herons.
At the same time, he looked confident defensively, a significant evolution in his game that came with playing more centrally in midfield this season, alongside Busquets, rather than out wide as he had previously.
Cremaschi won’t be the full-time solution at left back for Inter Miami. Still, with eight defensive actions, five successful tackles and nine duel wins, Mascherano can hold some confidence in the fallback option.
Frustrating FC Cincinnati’s Press
Overall, for Inter Miami, this match represented a notable improvement from their 3–0 loss to FC Cincinnati just 10 days prior, and much of that improvement stemmed from limiting Cincinnati’s high-pressing style.
Throughout the match, Busquets and Redondo disrupted passes through midfield. At the same time, Cremaschi and Telasco Segovia were able to neutralize MLS MVP frontrunner Evander from making a significant impact down his favored right wing.
It all led to a rather listless affair and one that FC Cincinnati’s head coach Pat Noonan wasn’t pleased with, saying as much after the match, blaming his front three for many of the attacking faults that played into Miami’s defensive favor.
“I thought our front three was really poor tonight with how we attack space and how we made decisions in and around the goal,” he said. “There were some good moments where maybe the idea was right, the execution was poor, but then there were plenty of moments where the idea was wrong and the decision was wrong.”
Yet, as much as a draw does little to help Miami in the Eastern Conference table, being able to improve from a 3–0 loss and still claim a point, despite the noise surrounding Messi and Alba, can be seen as a significant moment of resilience for the club.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Inter Miami 0–0 FC Cincinnati: Takeaways as Benjamin Cremaschi Impresses in Draw .