Four days after lifting the Campeones Cup, Inter Miami walked out of Nu Stadium with another point and another reminder that MLS does not pause for a trophy parade. San Diego FC turned a late Miami lead into a 2-2 draw Sunday, spoiling the defending champions’ first meeting with the expansion club and leaving a restless crowd with more questions than celebration.
San Diego struck first in the 12th minute, but Miami answered through its usual source of gravity. Lionel Messi bent a free kick from the right into the upper-left corner in the 24th minute, reaching 20 league goals and 101 for Inter Miami across all competitions.
The match tilted after halftime. Rodrigo De Paul threaded Luis Suárez into space in the 74th minute, and the Uruguayan finished first time with the kind of ruthless touch Miami expected to be enough. For stretches, the Herons pinned San Diego deep, circulated possession and hunted a third goal. CJ Dos Santos kept the visitors alive with six saves.
Instead, Anders Dreyer found the crack. The San Diego winger struck again in the 82nd minute, turning what looked like a controlled Miami night into a sprint toward the finish. The visitors nearly stole all three points before Dayne St. Clair denied Kieran Sargeant in the sixth minute of stoppage time.
The draw moved Miami to 12-4-10 and 46 points. It also sharpened the concern around the club’s new home: the Herons are now 4-2-7 at Nu Stadium, with only 19 of 39 available points collected there.
Messi’s milestone will dominate the clips. Dreyer’s late answer should dominate the film room. The Campeones Cup proved Miami can still finish a final; this result showed the regular season remains much less forgiving.