Casemiro made his Inter Miami debut following Brazil’s exit from the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The 34-year-old Brazilian midfielder started the match against CF Montréal in Major League Soccer (MLS) on Saturday night.
Inter Miami won 1-0 in Montreal, with the match’s only goal coming in the 81st minute of the second half, converted from the penalty spot by Luis Suárez.
This marked Inter Miami’s second match since the World Cup break. Argentine stars Lionel Messi and Rodrigo De Paul, who played in the World Cup final against Spain, were absent from the match, having not yet rejoined the team following their post-tournament rest period.
Casemiro joined Miami on July 22. Despite not featuring in the club’s previous match against the Chicago Fire, he played the full 90 minutes on his debut. His last competitive match prior to this had been Brazil’s 2-1 loss to Norway in the round of 16 of the World Cup on July 5.
Neither team scored in the first half. The match was halted for roughly 10 minutes after Miami’s Germán Berterame collided heads with Montréal defender Efraín Morales while contesting a header and fell motionless to the ground. He received on-field medical treatment before being taken to the hospital by ambulance.
Following the stoppage, Inter Miami was awarded a penalty, which Suárez converted after roughly 10 minutes of stoppage time with a Panenka-style chip that beat the diving goalkeeper. Suárez dedicated the goal to his injured teammate, holding up Berterame’s number 9 jersey during the celebration.
With the win, Inter Miami maintained a strong position in the Eastern Conference. The defending champions extended their current winning streak and remain in close contention near the top of the table, despite playing without Messi and De Paul.
