Inter Miami 1-1 NYCFC: Player ratings as Herons earn draw to land in 13th place

Inter Miami held New York City FC to a 1-1 draw at DRV PNK Stadium on Saturday night, as goals from Santiago Rodríguez and Tomas Aviles earned each side one point to tighten the postseason race in the Eastern Conference.

Lionel Messi and Jordi Alba watched from the sidelines once again as the Herons struggled against NYCFC.

Tayvon Gray kicked off the first goal of the match, capitalizing on a free kick from the midfield to find Rodríguez on the edge of the box. The New York City FC figure danced through Miami’s backline, specifically beating Tomas Aviles to position himself on the right and rocket the ball to the top of the net.

Despite a mostly dormant second half from the home side, Aviles rectified his defensive errors in the 92nd minute when heading the ball into the net off of a set piece to equalize the game.

Miami almost secured the three points in the final seconds, but David Ruiz’s strike hit the post and bounced just outside of the goal to maintain the 1-1 scoreline.

The result leaves the Herons in 13th place on the Eastern Conference table, hoping certain results combine to pave a favorable path to the playoffs. The team faces Chicago FC next on Wednesday, before concluding the season by playing against FC Cincinnati and Charlotte FC twice.