Inter Miami and the Chicago Fire have started their respective 2022 seasons with a whimper instead of a bang as the two sides drew 0-0 at DRV PNK Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

A battle of two bad teams, the first half had some highlights, but poor finishing meant that no goals were scored. The second half died off after a hot start, and a late resurgence wasn’t enough to break the deadlock.

All in all, both sides ended up settling for a point, which isn’t a bad result for either, but the way everything unfolded meant that neither fanbase will be really happy with what they saw.

Story of the match

Miami should have opened the scoring within 10 minutes. A well-worked short corner was eventually whipped into the area right to Leonardo Campana, who was open. He bottled the opportunity, though, as his header from close range hit the crossbar.

Another big chance went begging a bit later on, with this one going to the away side. Mauricio Pineda drove forward on the counter before laying the ball off to Stanislav Ivanov, but his low strike rolled wide of the target.

Ivanov came even closer at the half hour mark. Receiving the ball on the right wing once again, he settled it before having a go. His effort was a tame one, and it ultimately rolled slowly before bouncing off the post and away.

Things just kept happening, and the hosts had another opportunity of their own. A good passage of play led to Noah Allen getting the ball on the edge of the area, and his attempt looked promising at first, but it also ultimately went wide.

All in all, the first half was quite a fun one, even if it wasn't the best soccer being played.

The second half was more of the same early on. Rafael Czichos nearly spoiled his debut by redirecting a cross towards his own goal, but fortunately for him Gabriel Slonina reacted quickly to get down and make an important save.

Chicago then went right up the other side of the pitch and almost scored themselves. A superb cross from Boris Sekulić picked out Kacper Przybyłko, and he got a foot on the ball, but his attempt was saved by Clément Diop.

The contest seemingly kicked up a gear when Inter were awarded a penalty after a foul on DeAndre Yedlin by Miguel Navarro. However, following a VAR review, the decision was overturned since Yedlin did dive, and he was given a yellow card as a result.

Not much happened for most of the second half, but Miami did make a late push for a winner. Despite their efforts, though, they couldn’t find the back of the net, so the contest ended level.

Takeaways

Even though Chicago debuted their new logo, the fact that they were wearing a navy blue kit meant that they still looked like the same Fire team from the first rebrand.

Speaking of kits, something doesn’t quite look right with Miami’s pink ensemble. Maybe it was the particular shade, or the fact that everything was pink, from the shirt to the shorts and the socks. Fans really wanted to see that color used, but it might not really work.

I know it’s only the first game of the season, but Chicago’s decision to re-sign Gastón Giménez looks even worse right now. He was poor on the night, and he was outplayed by former Fire midfielder Mo Adams. Maybe the Paraguayan will turn things around, but his poor performance will not give fans hope for the future.

It’s obviously early, but neither of these sides look any better than they did last season. Both made defensive mistakes at the back, and they were each haunted by sloppy passing and bad finishing on the other side of the field. Only time will tell if either improves as the campaign goes on, but this showing isn't a promising indication of the future.

Man of the match - No one

I technically should put someone here, but no one really stood out on the night.

Xherdan Shaqiri tried to make things happen, but he failed to have a real impact on proceedings. Mo Adams put up a fight in midfield, and plenty of others made small contributions, but it wasn’t enough for anyone to deserve extra praise.

As a result, there is no man of the match. We go again next weekend.

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