Inter Miami Report Card vs. Red Bull New York: Teenagers Punish the Herons

Lionel Messi set up Germán Berterame for a key goal, but the Herons were unable yet again to find victory at their new home stadium.

Inter Miami fell victim to Red Bull New York’s tenacious teenagers. | Leonardo Fernandez/Getty Images

Germán Berterame scored his first goal for Inter Miami, and Lionel Messi picked up the assist, but it wasn’t enough for the Herons to secure a first win at the new Nu Stadium, settling for a 2–2 draw against Red Bull New York on Saturday night. 

Coming off a fervent 2–2 draw against Austin FC in the club’s first match at the new stadium, manager Javier Mashcherano opted to shift his formation, switching the team into a 4-4-1-1, with Rodrigo De Paul taking on a right midfield role and Messi playing as an attacking midfielder behind Berterame at striker. 

Yet, the defense continued to be an issue, as Miami struggled with the tenacity and vigor of New York’s young stars, highlighted by 18-year-old Julian Hall sprinting past Miami’s center back duo of Micael and Maxi Falcón, before serving Jorge Ruvalcaba for the 1–0 goal in the 15th minute. 

Miami leveled the match on the stroke of halftime, when Telasco Segovia made a key recovery, before a seven-pass buildup ended with a looped-in cross from De Paul, before a clean finish from Mateo Silvetti. 

Rodrigo De Paul drops a dime to Mateo Silvetti. 👌@InterMiamiCF equalizes right before half at Nu Stadium. pic.twitter.com/9Qp47rQlqu

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) April 12, 2026

All tied at half, Miami picked up the key go-ahead goal in the 55th minute, as Messi danced through defenders, before setting up Berterame for a one-touch finish, his first in nine appearances for the Herons. 

Despite an onslaught of attacking opportunities from Miami, Red Bull stood strong, with former U.S. men’s national team backstop Ethan Horvath making point-blank stops on Messi and Luis Suárez, among his five saves on the day. 

Red Bull pulled back the point in the 77th minute, when 17-year-old Adri Mehmeti finished off a set-piece chance, dancing around De Paul before sliding a finish past St. Clair, putting the game at 2–2. 

While the game featured impressive performances at times for both sides, Miami will rue the missed chances and key saves from Horvath, as they will have to wait several weeks before making another attempt to secure a first win at Nu Stadium. 

Here is Sports Illustrated’s breakdown of the match, featuring report card grades for each Inter Miami player who saw the pitch.

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Inter Miami’s Winners and Losers

Telasco Segovia had more vigor in his pressing than in previous Inter Miami showings in 2026. | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Winner

Telasco Segovia was one of the most impressive players on the pitch, making a massive impact in his tenacious press and ability to win back the ball. While Miami’s defensive efforts can often falter, Segovia’s work rate was evident and was the sole reason the Herons regained possession to orchestrate the 1–1 goal. By the end of the match, he had seven recoveries, while still offering a threat in attack.  

Loser

Rodrigo De Paul had a outstanding assist to set up Silvetti’s opening goal, but the rest of the game marked another worrying appearance from the Argentine. Mascherano opted to shift De Paul to right midfield, likely with hopes that he could be more impactful than he has been centrally, and while he had one outstanding moment, he continued to struggle defensively. For a player that has built his career as a tough tackler, that’s not a strong point—as shown precisely on Mehmeti’s equalizer, where De Paul didn’t mark the attacker and failed to make any sort of challenge.

For some superstars who come to MLS, they elevate those around them, yet, it seems as though De Paul has instead dropped down a level, which no doubt puts his potential to represent Argentina at the upcoming World Cup in question.

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Inter Miami Report Card vs. Red Bull New York (4-4-1-1)

GK: Dayne St. Clair—B+: The Canadian goalkeeper was left out to dry against the Red Bulls and hasn’t been able to make massive saves on the high-quality chances that Miami often gives up.

RB: Ian Fray—A: While Messi no longer can rely on streaking forward runs from Jordi Alba down the left flank, there appears to be a burgeoning connection between Fray and the Argentine, which was evident throughout Saturday’s showing.

CB: Maxi Falcón—D: For whatever reason, Mascherano sees Maxi Falcón as a consistent starting center back. This week, his latest mistake was intruding on Micael’s tracking run to get to Julian Hall, while missing his defensive task, leading to New York’s first goal.

CB: Micael—C+: While the Brazilian defender has established better chemistry with Falcón in recent weeks, it has become clear that he sees the faults in his defensive partner and becomes hestiant to fully commit to his own defensive assignments, knowing he may have to cover for his partner.

LB: Sergio Reguilón—D: Reguilón came into Inter Miami with hopes of replicating Alba’s piercing runs. So far, it’s been all injuries, recovery and underwhelming performances. He struggled to make any type of impact before exiting at half time this week.

RM: Rodrigo De Paul—C: The Argentine midfielder switched to a wider role and delivered a key cross for Mateo Silvetti’s goal, but he was largely at fault for missing 17-year-old Adri Mehmeti on the 2–2 goal, failing to make a tackle or dissuade the attacker in any way.

CM: Yannick Bright—B: Outside of Messi, Yannick Bright has been Inter Miami’s most consistent player this season, and he took control alongside Telasco Segovia in the midfield duo in the new tactical setup.

CM: Telasco Segovia—A+: Whether there was a demand in training to bring more intensity or the Venezuelan took it upon himself, the energy that Segovia had throughout the match was game-changing, a key to Miami’s strength through an unusual press.

LM: Mateo Silvetti—A-: The young Argentine is becoming more consistent with every apperance and made clear runs to high-percentage scoring areas in this match, earning himself a tap-in, but skillfull volley for Miami’s equalizing goal on the stroke of half time.

CAM: Lionel Messi—B-: The standards for Lionel Messi are sky high, so when he falls short of it, it’s challenging to see much of a high grade. While he picked up a nifty assist on Berterame’s goal, his struggles to finish routine chances meant that Miami had to deal with more tense moments.

ST: Germán Berterame—A: Finally! In his ninth game across all competitions, the Mexico international finally scored his first goal for Inter Miami, and it came from a Messi assist, just as Inter Miami dreamed of when they shelled out $15 million to sign the towering attacker.

SUB: Dániel Pintér (46’ for Reguilón)—A: Coming on at half time, Pintér offered more threats going forward and made the tackle that sparked the attacking movements, leading to Berterame’s 2–1 goal.

SUB: Gonzalo Luján (68’ for Silvetti)—C: Luján’s versatility makes him a useful piece for Miami’s setup, even if he does not offer a ton of exciting moments.

SUB: Luis Suárez (79’ for Fray)—B: Luis Suárez is 39 years old and is still the most threatening attacker that Messi is playing with. He missed two key chances in his brief showing, making it clear that he can be a game-changing striker off the bench.

Subs not used: Rocco Ríos Novo (GK), Facundo Mura, Noah Allen, David Ayala, David Ruiz, Santiago Morales

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What’s Next For Inter Miami?

Lionel Messi (left), Rodrigo De Paul (center) and Germán Berterame (right) have struggled to secure results in 2026. | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

With the draw, Inter Miami slid into third in the Eastern Conference, still one point ahead of Red Bull New York.

They will have to wait a little while longer to find a first win at Nu Stadium, now turning their focus to an away clash against the Colorado Rapids on April 18, which will be played at Empower Field at Mile High, the home of the NFL’s Denver Broncos, in front of over 60,000 fans. Miami’s next chance at Nu Stadium won’t come for two weeks, when they welcome the New England Revolution on April 25.

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