MIAMI — Inter Miami CF drew San Diego FC 2-2 Sunday night, suffering another late-game collapse that cost the Herons three points.

It was the first Major League Soccer match with new manager Kily González in charge.

The match began with San Diego applying immediate pressure, forcing Miami deep into its own box as the Herons struggled to get out of their half.

That pressure finally paid off in the 12th minute.

San Diego found Anders Dreyer with a pass from 35 yards out, and the forward slipped behind Casemiro and Maximiliano Falcon before chipping the ball over Dayne St. Clair to give San Diego an early 1-0 lead.

It was far from the start Miami wanted, but conceding the goal appeared to wake the Herons up.

Lionel Messi quickly became the center of Miami’s attack, helping create chance after chance and winning several corners as the Herons began to take control of the match.

After roughly 10 minutes of sustained pressure, Miami won a dangerous free kick, and there was no question who would take it.

Messi stepped up.

The crowd at Nu Stadium went silent as the Argentine star lined up the shot.

Then came a moment of Messi magic.

Messi curled the free kick into the top-left corner, leaving the San Diego goalkeeper completely frozen as the ball found the back of the net.

The crowd erupted, filling the stadium with chants of “Messi, Messi, Messi” as Messi celebrated with his teammates.

Just like that, the match was level at 1-1.

After both teams found the back of the net, the pace began to settle down. Neither side wanted to give up another goal before halftime, and the match became increasingly physical as the clock wound down.

It remained chippy until the halftime whistle, with the teams heading into the break tied 1-1.

Miami came out of halftime looking unsettled, giving San Diego a free kick in a dangerous area early in the second half.

Fortunately for the Herons, the whipped-in ball caused no real danger and was cleared out of the box.

But Miami’s problems continued.

San Diego caught Miami sleeping in the backfield and found the back of the net, only for the goal to be ruled offside.

Ten minutes into the second half, the Herons still had not found their rhythm. Miami misplaced passes, gave the ball away too easily and struggled to maintain possession.

The Herons soon earned another dangerous free kick after a reckless foul by a San Diego defender.

And once again, Messi stood over the ball.

His free kick deflected off the wall and nearly found its way into the net, but the shot sailed just wide of the left post and out for a corner.

Messi took the resulting corner, but it came to nothing.

Miami’s pressure continued to build as the Herons pressed higher and repeatedly won the ball back. Messi had another opportunity moments later, but his shot went just wide.

Chance after chance came for Miami, but the San Diego goalkeeper continued to stand in the way, making save after save to keep the match level.

San Diego continued to create chances of its own, but Miami’s defense managed to block and clear nearly everything that came its way.

Eventually, the pressure finally broke through.

In the 75th minute, some excellent ball movement opened up the San Diego defense. Rodrigo De Paul found Luis Suárez inside the box, and Suárez made no mistake, slotting the ball into the left corner to put Miami ahead 2-1.

For the first time all night, Miami had the lead.

Now, the Herons had to protect it.

With at least 15 minutes remaining, Miami looked to slow the match down and do enough to secure Gonzalez’s first MLS victory as manager.

But once again, Miami couldn’t hold on.

Less than six minutes after taking the lead, the Herons’ defense collapsed.

Dreyer found space behind the Miami back line and raced through one-on-one with St. Clair. The San Diego forward calmly finished the chance to tie the match at 2-2.

Once again, Miami had let a late lead slip away.

The Herons entered the match looking to put an end to their recent string of late-game collapses, but instead found themselves in the same position once again.

Messi was fouled near the box, giving him another opportunity to put Miami back in front from a free kick.

For the third time in the match, Messi stood over the ball.

This time, instead of shooting, he whipped a pass into the box. San Diego managed to clear it away, sending the ball out for a corner.

The corner led to nothing, and Miami’s window to find a winner was quickly closing.

In the 94th minute, Messi nearly provided one final chance, forcing a save from the San Diego goalkeeper, who tipped the ball out for another corner.

Then, in the final seconds, Miami nearly suffered an even worse fate.

San Diego broke forward on a four-on-one counterattack, leaving the Herons dangerously exposed. But a poor final pass gave St. Clair enough time to make the save and keep Miami from suffering a defeat.

The final whistle sounded with the score tied 2-2.

The result marked Miami’s fourth straight MLS draw and the third consecutive home match in which the Herons entered the final 10 minutes with a lead before conceding the tying goal.

Miami will look to finally break that trend in its final match before the international break, when the Herons face Columbus Crew on Sunday.

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