FC Cincinnati 3-1 Inter Miami: Player ratings as Brandon Vazquez heaps more misery on Neville

Phil Neville's woes deepened as his Inter Miami side fell to a 3-1 defeat away at FC Cincinnati on Saturday afternoon.

The Herons have made a terrible start to the 2022 MLS season, taking just one point from three games prior to Saturday, conceding seven goals and scoring just once.

And things didn't get any better here as a Brandon Vazquez brace (just a small part of his sensational individual performance) and another strike from Ronald Matarrita made Gonzalo Higuain's first-half penalty worthless.

Miami's single point leaves them 12th in the Eastern Conference with a -8 goal difference - no team this side of MLS has worse. As for Cincinnati, their back-to-back wins see them climb above the Playoff line - a rare sight for the Ohio team, who are quickly improving under Pat Noonan.

Here are the full player ratings from FC Cincinnati 3-1 Inter Miami...

FC Cincinnati player ratings

1. Goalkeeper & defenders

Alec Kann (GK) - 7/10 - Perhaps sold himself a little too early on the penalty but carried out the rest of his duties well enough, including a vital save at his near post in the final 10 minutes.

Alvas Powell (RWB) - 6/10 - Another solid defensive outing from Powell. The less said about his second-half volley the better, though!

Nick Hagglund (CB) - 7/10 - Won all four of his aerial duels and was solid as a rock at the back.

Geoff Cameron (CB) - 7/10 - Assurred in possession and aggressive without it. Is doing a good job of helping tighten up this Cincy defense.

Tyler Blackett (CB) - 7/10 - Did a good job of covering Matarrita as the Costa Rican drove forward, often helping the wing-back in possession.

Ronald Matarrita (LWB) - 9/10 - Marked down one for needlessly giving away a penalty but was otherwise perfect. One goal, two assists, a ton of driving runs and some incredible passing.

2. Midfielders

Yuya Kubo (CM) - 8/10 - Was dynamic and creative in midfield, trying his luck with some dangerous shots around the box, too.

Junior Moreno (CM) - 7/10 - Provided the bite FC Cincinnati have been missing from their midfield for so long.

Luciano Acosta (CAM) - 7/10 - Would have been given a much better rating for another creative masterclass but, well, that penalty was just awful.

3. Forwards

Brandon Vazquez (ST) - 10/10 - Scored twice, calmly set up another, and won a penalty. Brandon Vazquez is on a tear and is quickly going from being an underrated talent to a feared striker. What a performance.

Dom Badji (ST) - 7/10 - Quieter than Vazquez but still had a couple of dangerous moments and caused trouble for Miami with his clever movement.

4. Substitutes

Brenner (for Badji, 66 mins) - 6/10 - Put himself about and looked energetic from the bench.

Alvaro Barreal (for Acosta, 79 mins) - 5/10 - Had a good chance to notch a goal but made it too easy for Callender to save.

Haris Medunjanin (for Moreno, 90 mins) - N/A - No time to change the game.

Calvin Harris (for Vazquez, 90 mins) - N/A - As above.

Inter Miami player ratings

5. Goalkeeper & defenders

Drake Callender (GK) - 3/10 - Absolutely terrible for a couple of goals. Gets bumped up one for keeping the score down in the second half.

DeAndre Yedlin (RB) - 6/10 - Won a penalty and tried to make things happen down the right for Miami. A rare bright spot for Neville.

Damion Lowe (CB) - 2/10 - Couldn't get to grips with Vazquez and Badji and was a disaster waiting to happen every time the ball came into the box. See his tackle on Vazquez for the Cincy penalty for evidence.

Christopher McVey (CB) - 4/10 - A little better than Lowe, but the bar was not set very high.

Kieran Gibbs (LB) - 4/10 - Was a little sloppy with the ball and left too many spaces for Vazquez and Badji to drift into.

6. Midfielders

Jean Mota (RM) - 6/10 - Came close with a free-kick late in the first half and formed a decent partnership with Yedlin - not that it helped much.

Gregore (CM) - 6/10 - Was overworked in midfield but did his best to stem the flow of Cincy attacks.

Mo Adams (CM) - 5/10 - Battled hard but didn't offer enough on the ball so was the obvious choice to be withdrawn an hour in.

Robert Taylor (LM) - 4/10 - Anonymous and ineffective.

7. Forwards

Gonzalo Higuain (ST) - 5/10 - Scored his fourth penalty in MLS and showed flashes of quality but drifted out for long spells.

Leonardo Campana (ST) - 3/10 - A first-half header aside, Campana was completely anonymous with just 15 touches of the ball.

8. Substitutes

Ariel Lassiter (for Adams, 60 mins) - 4/10 - Didn't do much to justify a start next time.

Noah Allen (for Gibbs, 60 mins) - 5/10 - Neat and tidy from the teenager again, though he could do little to influence the game.

Robbie Robinson (for Campana, 71 mins) - 5/10 - Looked more lively in 20 minutes than Campana did in 70 but it wasn't enough.