Youngsters lead the way in Inter Miami's 2-1 win over Columbus Crew

Inter Miami picked up their third win of the season vs. Columbus Crew.
Inter Miami picked up their third win of the season vs. Columbus Crew. / Kirk Irwin/GettyImages
facebooktwitterreddit

Inter Miami's six-game losing streak ended Saturday night with a 2-1 win at Columbus Crew, as the youth led the way for the Herons with Leo Campana bagging a brace and Benjamin Cremaschi notching an assist.

Miami picked up three much-needed points on the road against Columbus Crew to jumped to 12th place in the Eastern Conference standings, a drastic improvement.

Head coach Phil Neville has said all along that once Miami started to find the back of the net they would be back in the winning column.

"We’ve got two strikers now that scored on Wednesday and two goals tonight from Leo [Campana]. That's three in two games now from our strikers and it's no coincidence then we start winning."

Neville praised Leo Campana in his first start of the season, labeling the player "sensational" after returning from an extended spell on the sidelines.

"Today I thought he was sensational. I really did" Neville said of the Ecuador international. "He held up the play. His first goal was really good. His second goal was typical Leo getting across the near post. His heading ability is great. He brought players into the game and he's only going to get better. I think if we have Leo Campana fit for the whole season, then we're going to be successful."

Benjamin Cremaschi was also applauded by the coach for his performance against the Crew, after completing the assist in Campana's first goal. Though he has continually impressed Neville during his first season as a homegrown player, the assist was his first official contribution to the team.

"Benja tonight went in and played to the level that I knew he could. … The kid’s gonna be a star, without a shadow of a doubt" Neville said.

"He [Neville] told us that we're not here as players to get a little bit of minutes and that he really thinks that we could make an impact on this team and be important players for the team, if it's coming off the bench or being a starter," Cremaschi added. "So I feel like him expressing that to us gives us confidence and helps us helps the team.”

The Herons will look to pick up a second-straight victory when they host Eastern Conference foes Atlanta United on Saturday night.