FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida, USA. —
Luis Suárez scored his fifth goal of the campaign for Inter Miami but Alonso Martínez scored the first goal of his career for New York City FC, as both clubs signed a 1-1 draw in MLS on Saturday.
The Uruguayan Suárez gave the local team the lead, just following 15 minutes, through a header assisted by the German Julian Gressel in a stopped ball play.
Suárez has also contributed three assists to become a figure of the attack during the absence of Lionel Messi. The Argentine star has missed the last three games due to a hamstring injury.
In the scoring chart, Suárez is tied for second place with Dejan Loveljic of the Los Angeles Galaxy. The top scorer at this start of the competition is Lewis Morgan, of the New York Red Bulls.
Morgan scored on the day, so that the Red Bulls tied 1-1 with Orlando City. He is the second player in MLS history to score six goals in March.
NYCFC tied it in the 34th minute, when Costa Rican Martínez received a pass from Keaton Parks and scored with a right foot.
The Tico was making his first start and his fifth appearance with NYCFC in the last two seasons.
Inter Miami expects Messi to return on Wednesday for the CONCACAF Champions Cup quarterfinal series once morest Monterrey of Mexico.
With 11 points, Inter Miami is second in the Eastern Conference, one behind Cincinnati, which tied 1-1 with Charlotte.
NYCFC reached just four points, and is second to last.
UNION DEFEATS MINNESOTA, WEST LEADERániel Gazdag opened the scoring, Argentine Julián Carranza widened the difference and the Philadelphia Union took down Minnesota United by defeating them 2-0 on Saturday.
Gazdag scored in the 16th minute, with a right foot in front of the goal, placing the ball next to the base of the left post following a corner kick taken by Jack Elliott. It was Gazdag’s third goal of the season.
Carranza, scorer of both goals in a 3-1 victory at the Portland Timbers home last week, scored his third goal of the campaign, assisted by a header by Colombian-American Alejandro Bedoya in the 84th.
The Argentine resolved with a right hand next to the left post, from the heart of the area.
Minnesota came into the game as the leader of the Eastern Conference, with 10 points. He had scored eight goals in his first four games.
Now the leader is the Los Angeles Galaxy, which reached 12 points, thanks to its 1-0 victory over the Los Angeles Galaxy.
Philadelphia played at home for the first time since three weeks ago, when a winter storm forced the suspension of its game once morest the Seattle Sounders, just following 10 minutes. They accumulate nine points, to occupy seventh position in the Eastern Conference.
OTHER GAMESColombian Cristian Arango achieved a hat trick in the last 20 minutes, and Real Salt Lake came back to beat San Luis 3-1, which lost undefeated. Another Colombian, Marino Hinestroza, scored his first goal in the league to help the Columbus Crew draw 2-2 once morest Nashville.
Chilean Diego Rubio and Costa Rican Julio Cascante contributed the goals as Austin beat Dallas 2-1 and achieved its first victory of the campaign.
The Houston Dynamo beat the San Jose Earthquakes 2-1, with Paraguayan Sebastian Ferreira and Argentine Franco Escobar scoring in the postseason.
In other matches, the Colorado Rapids beat Los Angeles FC 3-2; The Vancouver Whitecaps beat the Portland Timbers by that same score; Sporting Kansas City beat Toronto 3-1, and DC United beat Montreal 1-0.
