MIAMI (Saturday, March 12) – The Miami Football Club kicked off its 2022 USL Championship season with a 2-0 home-opening win against New York Red Bulls II at FIU Stadium. El Salvadorian forward Josh Perez and debutant Mark Segbers scored Miami FC’s two goals on the night.
Perez got home fans on their feet early in the outing, scoring Miami’s first goal of the season just 11 minutes into the game. The 24-year-old met a cross from Segbers with a diving header, drilling the ball past the Red Bulls goalkeeper to give Miami a 1-0 lead. Perez indicated that he and his wife are expecting a baby, celebrating the goal by placing the ball inside the front of his jersey and sucking his thumb.
The match stayed quiet until a close chance from winger Pierre Da Silva in the 41st minute. Da Silva controlled a cross sent by Reggae Boy Devon “Speedy” Williams and managed to get a shot on target. However, the keeper got low quick enough to make the save on his first post.
Segbers doubled Miami’s lead with a goal deep in the second half. The play began on the left flank with Da Silva and Segbers combining up the Red Bulls’ half. The St. Louis native then combined with forward Romeo Parkes, producing a wall-pass between the two to get Segbers in front of goal. Despite the keeper saving his first attempt at goal, Segbers tucked in the rebound to claim his first Miami FC goal.
“I’m very blessed to get the goal and assist to help the team get the win,” said Segbers after a dream start to his Miami FC career.
Head coach Anthony Pulis spoke about Segbers’ one-goal, one-assist debut performance after the match.
“Mark was outstanding, I have to be honest,” said Pulis. “With the injury situation that we find ourselves in, we obviously haven’t got a healthy left-back. We know that he is one of the best right-backs in the league, but we had trust and faith in him to do the job as a left-back, and he was outstanding.”
Miami FC will take on Louisville City at Lynn Family Stadium on Saturday, March 19. The two sides last met in the first round of the 2021 USL Championship playoffs, a game that ended Miami’s season after a 1-0 away loss.
The game will stream live exclusively on ESPN+ in the USA, starting at 7:30 p.m.
