Lionel Messi was rested, but Inter Miami cruised to a comfortable 4-1 victory over Houston Dynamo on Sunday in Major League Soccer, thanks to a brace from Telasco Segovia.
Fans in Houston were disappointed to miss out on the chance to see the Argentine World Cup winner after coach Javier Mascherano opted to keep him in Florida following a packed start to the season.
To make up for Messi's absence, Houston offered fans free tickets to another game this season. Unfortunately for the Dynamo, their defense proved just as generous.
Miami pressed as Houston attempted to play out from the back, with Benjamin Cremaschi stealing the ball and passing to Luis Suarez, whose precise touch set up Segovia for the opening goal.
Houston responded well, enjoying plenty of possession, but they were hit on the break in the 37th minute when Tadeo Allende capped a counterattack with a powerful left-foot strike.
The third came just before halftime when Yannick Bright won the ball in midfield, powered forward, and slipped it wide to Suarez, who found Segovia. The striker held off Obafemi Awodesu’s challenge and calmly slotted into the corner.
After the break, Houston had the ball in the net, but Ezequiel Ponce's header was ruled out for offside.
Suarez made it 4-0 in the 79th minute, turning and losing his markers as he powered into the box before beating Dynamo keeper Andrew Tarbell with a powerful left-foot drive.
A Nicolas Lodeiro goal in the 85th minute provided some consolation for the home side, and there was another annoyance for Miami when defender Ian Fray received a red card for an incident after the final whistle.
But it was a performance that suggested Miami, Supporters’ Shield winners last year for their record-breaking regular season campaign, should be a dominant force again in the Eastern Conference.
"We started really well in the first half to get 3-0 up," Suarez told broadcaster Apple TV.
"We will try our best. We know last year was painful to lose (in the playoffs) to Atlanta. It was so sad, and this year we will do our best to win MLS," he added.
Defending champions Los Angeles Galaxy suffered a second straight defeat to start the season, losing 2-1 at the Vancouver Whitecaps.
Sam Adekugbe put the home side ahead in the third minute before Gabriel Pec – after some shaky defending from Vancouver – leveled in the 39th minute.
But three minutes from the end, Pedro Vite floated in a cross from the right, which Brian White met with a glancing header to grab the three points for the Canadian team.
