Inter Miami CF kept a clean sheet on the road to earn a victory over the San Jose Earthquakes in the first-ever meeting between the sides. Jean Mota scored the winning goal with an outstanding long-range effort in the first half.
"It was a good three points," said head coach Phil Neville. "We spoke the last two days about taking the next step again for the team, and that’s winning on the road. We’ve won one on the road, [and now] we’ve got another big game Saturday against Montreal."
Inter Miami set the tone in the opening minute, launching an incisive counterattack that was eventually cut out in the box. Just over 10 minutes later, the visitors capitalized on the early attacking momentum to take the lead; Mota took one touch to collect possession outside of the box after a defensive header and hit a precise strike with the outside of his foot into the upper 90 for the early 0-1 lead. The goal was Mota’s first in MLS, and second across all competitions for Inter Miami.
In the 23rd minute, though, the team was forced into a first-half injury substitution, bringing on Ariel Lassiter for the hampered Leonardo Campana. From then, Inter Miami continued to probe for openings in attack but the first half whistle blew and the scoreline remained 1-0.
Get South Florida local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC South Florida newsletters.
Inter Miami was then tested defensively on a few occasions, including two San Jose shots that drew saves from Drake Callender, but the visitors remained stout to keep the clean sheet on the road and claim all three points.
Inter Miami’s long-distance road trip will continue later this week when the team travels north of the border to take on CF Montréal at Stade Saputo on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET.
