NYCFC and Inter Miami open the season with a 2-2 draw in a crazy season opener | OneFootball

A new era has officially begun for New York City FC.  With Nick Cushing gone and Pascal Jansen in charge, the Pigeons will try to find themselves again and be one of the more competitive teams in Major League Soccer.  It is unlikely they will compete with the top sides this year, but 2025 can be the launching point to put them back in the conversation.

Alas, they had to start the new season in a difficult manner.  NYCFC was on the road in Florida and faced Inter Miami CF.  The challenging season opener, especially because it was away from home, made some question whether the Boys in Blue could steal any points.

The pressure was on though for Jansen.  He had to put out a team that would create a fighting chance.  With the roster he had available, he certainly put out one of the strongest Starting XIs possible.  But the Herons had the majority of their stars start, including Lionel Messi.  Could the Bronx team shock MLS?

They did not shock anyone, but rather the two teams shared the points after drawing 2-2.  NYCFC truthfully should have won despite being outplayed, but a late Miami goal kept that from happening.

NYCFC is outplayed in 2-2 draw with Miami

Before the match could even begin, NYCFC officially announced the departure of Santiago Rodríguez.  The timing was interesting since they did so less than a few hours before kickoff.  Nevertheless, the midfielder will be missed, and this will be discussed further soon.

As a result, Maxi Moralez is back wearing the number 10 shirt, which he debuted during the game.  He also wore the captain’s armband, so it appears he will be the first-choice captain when Thiago Martins, who missed most of the preseason, is unavailable or not on the pitch.

Game-wise, things looked bleak for NYCFC early on in the 5th minute.  The Herons had a corner kick, which was taken short.  This allowed Messi to get the ball into the box, and defender Tomás Avilés to slot the ball into the back of the net as he fell to the ground.

Miami continued to dominate the match and maintain possession.  It was clear they were outplaying the Pigeons, but the Boys in Blue were given a lifeline.  Avilés committed a poor foul on Alonso Martínez right outside of the box, sending the defender off via a red card.  This led to a free kick, which Moralez stepped up to take.

However, the Argentine decided to utilize trickery.  Rather than trying to send the ball over the wall, he sent it short to Mitja Ilenič, who was open on the right side of the box.  The Slovenian took a few steps towards the goal before swiftly slotting the ball into the bottom left corner of the goal in the 26th minute.

NYCFC was given this lifeline and even had more chances as the first half went on.  However, Miami still maintained most of the possession and became threatening again toward the end of the half.  This was not a good look for the Pigeons; they should have had more possession since they were up a man.

This subsequently continued after halftime, but NYCFC had their chances and spots of possession.  But once again, the Herons handed them a lifeline, leading to the Boys in Blue’s second goal of the night.

An awful mistake in their own half saw Miami give up possession with Martínez receiving the ball.  With plenty of space in front of him, the striker ran into the box and put his team in front quickly and easily in the 55th minute.  The home team’s goalkeeper, Oscar Ustari, could not do anything to stop him.

Still, it was frustrating to watch the Herons play as if they were not down a man.  The Pigeons could not find a way to even level the playing field.  It did help a little to take out Strahinja Tanasijević at halftime, who was liable in the backline with his fouls and was on a yellow card.  Justin Haak stepped into the defense and this led to Jonny Shore’s MLS debut, and he was impressive with his passes and play.

In addition, Nico Cavallo later made his debut for Kevin O’Toole, who was another player who missed some of the preseason.  The newly signed left-back showed he was not afraid to run up the pitch into the attack.

Regardless, Jansen’s substitutions, including Julián Fernández, Andrés Perea, and Mounsef Bakrar, could not stop the home team.  It was a match where Miami probably should have had many more goals.  It did not matter that ten men were on the pitch, for they played like they were the ones up a man.

Therefore, it was not shocking, with less than two minutes to go in stoppage time, that Miami leveled the match thanks to a chip from Telasco Segovia.  This led to the 2-2 result and the points shared.

There is no question that NYCFC should have won this game.  They were up a man for so long.  Plus, Fernández had a chance in stoppage time where he should have scored.  Instead, the ball was put just wide.  That would have been the game-winner.

At the same time, leaving Florida with a point against one of the top MLS teams is not the worst thing.  NYCFC did not play their best, but it was not the worst start for the 2025 season.