Only the heroics of goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair saved Inter Miami from defeat against San Diego FC, a concerned Cristian Gonzalez declared after Sunday's 2-2 draw.Anders Dreyer scored a late equaliser to salvage a point for San Diego at Nu Stadium, as Miami lost further ground on Nashville SC at the top of the Eastern Conference. Dreyer's 82nd-minute goal was his second of the game, after Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez had struck in either half to put the Herons 2-1 up.Miami finished the game with 19 shots to San Diego's eight, also winning the expected goals (xG) battle by 1.8 to 1.6, while St. Clair only had to make one save, though he also raced off his line to smother the ball in front of Dreyer when the game was poised at 1-1.And Gonzalez said Miami's defensive performance left much to be desired, with his team now third in the East and 11 points adrift of Nashville at the summit. "We've been here for four days and haven't been able to train properly. Defensively, we really need to be much stronger," Gonzalez said after the game. "We can't commit these defensive horrors; they come at a high cost. That final situation shouldn't have happened. "It's surreal to be in a position to win the game, yet nearly lose it. We only avoided defeat because our goalkeeper saved us."FT at Nu Stadium. pic.twitter.com/zRdFClvLym— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) September 21, 2026Messi's goal was his 101st overall for the Herons, and his 77th in MLS. He also has 61 assists, taking him to 138 goal involvements in the competition.The Argentina great has 20 goals in the competition this year, making him just the second player in the league's history to score 20+ goals in three straight campaigns, after Los Angeles FC's Denis Bouanga (2023-2025).Messi had brought up a century of goals for Miami in their 2-0 victory over Cruz Azul in the Campeones Cup final on Wednesday, but Gonzalez felt the annual game between the MLS and Liga MX champions took a physical and mental toll on his players."I think the Campeones Cup might have had an unconscious effect, especially in the first half, leading to a bit of complacency," Gonzalez added. "These are factors that are part of football. At a club where we are obliged to win every match we play, we have to rise to the occasion. "We made significant adjustments at half-time to get the team flowing and ensure we stayed compact, keeping the lines tight so we wouldn't suffer the way we did in the first half."We have to keep going. On the positive side, we did some good things, but I need to fine-tune the defensive side, because that's what really worries me most."Miami are next in action against the Columbus Crew on Sunday, with Messi set to be available for that game ahead of his farewell Argentina appearance on October 5, at a friendly versus Benin.The post ‘Our goalkeeper saved us’ – Miami boss Gonzalez concerned about defensive shortcomings appeared first on SoccerNews.