Three minutes of Lionel Messi magic was all it took for Inter Miami to be in position to steal three points away from the Colorado Rapids at Chase Stadium Saturday night.
But the resolve of the Rapids showed for the second straight Saturday, and Cole Bassett found the net in the 88th minute to tie it up at two goals a piece.
The Rapids earned their first halftime lead of the season thanks to a penalty taken by Rafael Navarro in the 45th minute. Kévin Cabral earned the penalty just seconds after taking a yellow card after committing a foul to stop a counterattack. Navarro calmly buried it to Miami goalkeeper Drake Callender’s left for his second goal of the season.
Messi subbed on at halftime to add some attacking flare to a team which had lacked it the whole first half. In the 58th minute, he scored on a beautiful one-time effort from just inside the penalty box which hammered off the left post and in.
Just two minutes later, he orchestrated another attack which ended with Leonardo Frugis Afonso finding the back of the net to pull ahead. Bassett’s left-footed effort secured the Rapids a huge point in the first leg of a two-match road trip.
Here are three takeaways from the 2-2 draw:
Resolve earns a point in wild second half
Not often does a team erase a deficit and take a lead of its own in just three minutes. The effect can be heavy on the team that concedes it, but for the Rapids, the belief is on another level, even when something that gut-wrenching happens.
In a lot of ways, Rapids coach Chris Armas wanted his team to be better despite the result, his biggest gripe being his team put a lot of early pressure on Miami but were still inconsistent in actually threatening to score.
But the one unwavering trait remains the resolve the Rapids showcase when down.
“You can see how things change so quickly against some of the best players in the world, so we really don’t want to make a habit of going down,” Armas said. “But we do want to make a habit of being able to come back and have players who cannot give in or give up and as a coaching staff to remain aggressive and push for goals and wins.”
Tide turned?
Last week, Armas wasn’t ready to designate a late 3-2 comeback over MLS giants LAFC as a season-defining moment. He, along with midfielder Cole Bassett, still isn’t after another late goal was needed to snag more points, but the buzz is palpable team-wide.
After all, four points in two weeks against two of MLS’s best teams is nothing to scoff at.
“I think from these results, you can see the character we’ve built and the mentality in the locker room, but I don’t think it’s season-defining,” Bassett said. “I think last week was special in terms of building confidence in the group and especially the fan base as well. … So these three out of the next four (on the road), these are huge if you can pick up three points in these games.
“I don’t think these are season-defining quite yet because we’ve got to be consistent throughout the entire season.”
Two key debuts
Keegan Rosenberry was listed as questionable coming into the match with a hamstring injury, but did not suit up. In his place was Homegrown Sebastian Anderson, who made his first start and first appearance of the season under the first-team contract he signed over the offseason.
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He looked somewhat nervous at times, which is understandable given the circumstance and the personnel on the other side. But for the most part, he held his own.
In the 85th minute, just a few minutes before Bassett equalized, Senegalese midfielder Lamine Diack subbed in for his first run of play in a Rapids jersey. A defensive midfielder similar to Oliver Larraz and Connor Ronan, the decision to add Diack for Navarro allowed Bassett to play his more comfortable and effective role up the pitch.
The reward: a late equalizer for Bassett, his second goal of the season.
“I think playing in a deeper role, doing my job for this team is important because I know we don’t have too many guys in (a defensive midfield role) right now,” Bassett said. “But I still know I can get up and I might have a few chances. I know I’ll get my chances, regardless of where I’m playing.”
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