Lionel Messi was given a rest, but Inter Miami had no trouble securing a dominant 4-1 victory over the Houston Dynamo in Major League Soccer on Sunday.
Telasco Segovia played a key role, scoring twice in the comprehensive win.
Ticket holders in Houston were disappointed to miss the chance to see Messi after coach Javier Mascherano decided to keep the World Cup winner in Florida following a busy start to the season.
In a gesture of goodwill, Houston offered fans free tickets to another game this season, but their defense could not prevent Miami’s attacking onslaught.
Miami capitalised on Houston’s efforts to play out from the back, with Benjamin Cremaschi stealing the ball and setting up Segovia to score the opener.
Houston had their moments in possession but were caught on the counterattack in the 37th minute, with Tadeo Allende finishing a swift break with a powerful left-foot shot.
The second goal came just before the break as Yannick Bright won possession in midfield, setting up Luis Suarez, who assisted Segovia to make it 3-0 with a clever finish despite defensive pressure.
After halftime, Houston thought they had a goal back when Ezequiel Ponce’s header was disallowed for offside.
However, Miami increased their lead in the 79th minute when Suarez powered through Houston’s defense and finished with a clinical left-foot strike to make it 4-0.
Nicolas Lodeiro pulled one back for the home side in the 85th minute, but it was little consolation for the Dynamo, who ended the game with frustration when Miami’s Ian Fray received a red card after the final whistle.
The win demonstrated Miami’s continued dominance, with the team looking like a major contender in the Eastern Conference.
“We started well the first half to get 3-0 up,” Suarez said. “We know last year was painful to lose (in the playoffs) to Atlanta, but this year we will do our best to win MLS.”
In another match, defending champions Los Angeles Galaxy suffered a second consecutive defeat to start the season, losing 2-1 to Vancouver Whitecaps, with Brian White scoring the decisive header late in the match.
