Down two goals against CF Montreal over the weekend, Inter Miami were awarded a free-kick in the 44th minute. It proved to be the turning point of the match. Despite being 35-40 yards out from goal, that set-piece was absolutely buried with a Goal of the Year-level finish, igniting a furious comeback that ended in a 3-2 Miami win.
Lionel Messi is normally the man for those moments, but he wasn't this time. Sidelined briefly to receive treatment, Messi could only watch on like the rest of us. Instead, the man doing his best Messi impression was the superstar's newest teammate, Matias Rojas, who has almost immediately made himself a top-tier running mate for the Argentine. His transition to life at Miami has been seamless, and Rojas is now positioned to be the club's next cult hero, much like Robert Taylor before him.
Rojas' rise is coming at the perfect time, too. All season long, Miami has been decimated by injuries, leaving Messi and Luis Suarez to do the heavy lifting at a pace that is almost certainly unsustainable for two veterans, regardless of their abilities. If Miami could get something, anything, out of someone else... well, that would make life much easier for the two Barcelona icons.
Rojas is that someone and, just a few weeks into his Inter Miami career, he's proven he can be a real difference-maker for Tata Martino's team.
