Inter Miami vs Monterrey player ratings as MLS side fail to get the win without Lionel Messi

Inter Miami suffered a loss at home in the first of their CONCACAF Champions Cup quarterfinals against Monterrey. The MLS side took the lead in the first half, but a red card to David Ruiz saw the game turn around.

The Liga MX side made the most of the final 20 minutes with more players on the pitch, and that helped them secure a crucial 2-1 win. Tomas Aviles opened the scoring in the 19th minute for the home side, but goals from Maximiliano Meza and Jorge Rodriguez saw the Mexican side leave the Chase Stadium with the advantage. 

Lionel Messi was deemed not ready to play in the match by Tata Martino and the Argentine was not included in the matchday squad despite training this week. The manager said:

“Messi was not fit enough for this match. We will go game after game to see how he feels. We didn’t want to risk him today.”

It came just days after he said:

“Leo and Nico Freire are taking it day by day. Depending on what happens in the next three or four days, we will determine if they are fit to play. Wednesday’s game is crucial, but we must consider the entire year. We will assume that if there is any risk for the players, they will not participate. We will make a decision on Tuesday.”

Without further ado, here are the Inter Miami vs Monterrey player ratings:

Inter Miami Player Ratings:

Drake Callender – 8 | INter Miami’s best player of the match today by a mile. He had 7 saves in the game to keep them in the fixture going into the second leg. 

Marcelo Weigandt – 6.5 | Was decent in defense but was unable to do much going forward. Was stuck defending in his own half and could not make the runs into the final third. 

Tomás Avilés – 7.5 | Scored the crucial goal for Inter Miami and did not commit a single foul in the entire game. 

Nicolás Freire – 6.5 | Easily the weak link in the Inter Miami defense today, and that cost them dearly. 

Jordi Alba – 7 | Showed his experience and helped keep the Mexican side quiet from the left side of the defense.

David Ruiz – 5 | The red card changed the game and Inter Miami fans will find it hard to forgive him. They were dominating the match with 22 minutes to go when the midfielder was booked for the second time in the game. 

Sergio Busquets – 7 | Was at his best once again, but hardly got any help from the players around him in the midfield. 

Diego Gómez – 6 | Was just not getting things right today as his passing was off, was failing to win his duels, and lost possession a lot. 

Julian Gressel – 7.5 | He had to drop from the right-wing position to the defence to help out Weigandt and that saw him play without the ball more often than not.

Luis Suárez – 6 | The legendary player was unable to get a shot on target in the entire game and that saw them suffer in the final third. He managed just two shots and both were off target. 

Robert Taylor – 6.5 | Another injury worry for Inter Miami as Taylor was forced off in the 37th minute. He could not do anything special before going off. 

Leo Afonso – 7 | Came on for the final 30 minutes and did well. The 22-year had to drop deep more often than not as he was not getting service upfront. 

Ryan Sailor – 6 | Came on for the injured Taylor and was taken off in the second half and Martino was not impressed with his lack of involvement. 

Monterrey Player Ratings

Esteban Andrada – 7 | Had to make just one save in the game but could have prevented the goal if he had caught the ball instead of pushing it over the bar for the corner. 

Érick Aguirre – 7.5 | Managed to keep Taylor, Afonso, and Sailor quiet throughout the game despite spending most of his time in the final third.  

Victor Guzmán – 7 | A solid defensive performance, as he managed to keep Luis Suarez quiet. 

Héctor Moreno – 7 | Similar to Guzman, the Liga MX side’s captain managed to make things hard for Inter Miami in the final third whenever they attacked in the first half. 

Gerardo Arteaga – 7.5 | Was more involved in the attack than defense today. Even managed to get two shots away, with one of them on target. 

Luis Romo – 7 | Played just 57 minutes but was able to close down Inter Miami and make it hard for them to keep the ball moving. 

Jorge Rodríguez – 9 | The winner was just the cherry on top of the cake, as he was already the best player on the pitch today. 

Maximiliano Meza – 9 | Scored the equalizer and then assisted the winner for Monterrey today.

Sergio Canales – 8 | Was the one making things tick in the final third for the Liga MX side and was shooting at every chance. 

Jesús Gallardo – 6 | Was just not able to get into the game today and was hooked off before the hour mark. 

Brandon Vazquez – 6 | Played 85 minutes, but was unable to do much, just like Gallardo.

Sebastian Vegas – 7 | Came on for Moreno after the break and managed to keep Luis Suarez quiet. 

Jordi Cortizo – 8 | Came on for Romo to provide more in attack and was brilliant in linking up play. 

German Berterame – 7 | Did not have a big impact in the game after coming on in the second half.

Jesus Corona – 7 | Did not have a big impact in the game after coming on in the second half.

Also read: Lionel Messi reveals he has no more dreams to achieve within the sport of football