The early moments of the match were played at a frenetic pace, with both sides creating opportunities in transition. For Inter Miami, the opening 10 minutes saw Brek Shea serve as a consistent outlet down the left flank, finding the ball in space and hitting in a pair of dangerous crosses, notably one that found Lewis Morgan in the box, whose shot was saved.
D.C. blocked another pair of shots from dangerous areas by Miami, first in the 13th minute when a pacey volleyed cross from Makoun was deflected to Morgan on the edge of the box. In the 15th minute, Jay Chapman delivered a ball from the endline to the near post, where Carranza attempted a backheel shot that was blocked.
The hosts, however, had a number of dangerous chances of their own, coming from crosses into the box directed at Ola Kamara, but D.C. was unable to convert.
Perhaps the best sequence of the half for Inter Miami came in the first minute of added time; Nicolás Figal made a strong run down the right wing, beating a defender and playing a square ball to Morgan, who turned and threaded a pass to Shea behind the defense and in the box, but his shot was saved by Bill Hamid. Moments later, Figal recovered in a defensive transition to track down a D.C. United player and make a vital tackle, keeping the match scoreless heading into half time.
The second half, however, began with challenging circumstances for Inter Miami; in the 56th minute, Gregore was sent off as the referee handed him a second yellow for a foul. In the 71st minute, the referee whistled for a penalty for D.C., claiming a handball in the box, which Kamara converted moments later. The referee again involved himself in the proceedings in the 84th minute, handing Ryan Shawcross a red card.
Inter Miami will return to action on Friday, June 25 at 8 p.m. ET when it hosts the “Blackout DRV PNK Stadium” match against Orlando City SC.