Inter Miami were deprived of their talisman, Lionel Messi , and trailing 1-0 as their Leagues Cup Phase One finale vs. Pumas UNAM – a game they had to win to assure themselves of advancement to the tournament’s knockout stages – approached halftime.

Yet half an hour of gametime later, that awkward, potentially disastrous scenario was just a memory, eclipsed by a comfortable 3-1 victory that made the Herons the first MLS side to book their place in the Leagues Cup quarterfinals.

Newcomer Rodrigo De Paul excelled in multiple midfield roles, while Luis Suárez rolled back the years yet again to snap his nine-game scoring drought with a masterfully-dispatched penalty kick conversion and two assists.

“ I’m happy for Luis, because we were talking last week about how difficult it is

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