Five Reasons to be Excited about Inter Miami (3/5)

Inter Miami return to MLS action on August 22 against in-state rivals Orlando City. For each day leading up to the game, I’ll be going into detail explaining one of my five reasons to be excited about Inter Miami.  These five reasons, and dates of all and each coming piece, are listed below:

Reasons to be Excited About Inter Miami

1. New Signings (August 17)
2. Return of Robbie (August 18)
3. Playing with More Experience (August 19)
4. Potential Acquisitions (August 20)
5. First Home Game (August 21)

Matchday will feature a pre and post-game piece as well.

Five Games In

When Inter Miami first brought in Diego Alonso as manager, not many people knew the name. As a player, Alonso had a brief stint in La Liga in the early 2000s. As a manager, Alonso was extremely successful in Mexico being one of the only coaches ever to win two CONCACAF Champions League titles with two different teams. Fans weren’t convinced he was the first choice, however, must’ve been stoked to find out he was a proven winner.

The difference between every league and MLS is somewhat massive. MLS has a style of play that’s unparalleled across the globe. Bringing in a manager whos not familiar with the league is a risk in itself. Bringing in a manager after you’ve already started building a roster at an expansion club? A huge ask.

Game 1 and 2

The ask became even tougher when he was forced to play 2019 Supporters Shield winners LAFC in the club’s first-ever game. One of the most dominant teams in MLS, with Carlos Vela who was coming off one of the best seasons we’ve ever seen by a player, on the road, was not the ideal matchup.

Inter Miami put up a fight at the Banc of California Stadium though. The match was not dominated by either side, and Alonso in his 4-2-3-1 formation provided us with an attacking style of soccer. Deciding not to go defensive, Miami was split open at the back a couple of times throughout the match with all but one chance being met by Luis Robles.

If it weren’t for any Carlos Vela magic and if it weren’t for a man of the match performance by LAFC goalkeeper Keeneth Vermeer, Miami could’ve left Los Angeles with at least a point.

DC United was up next with a second road game in a row for the Herons. After assisting the first goal in club history, Lewis Morgan but Miami up 2-0 in the second half. It led to a review that changed the entire outcome of the match. The goal was disallowed and was then followed by a penalty, a handball, a red card, a freekick, and an unfortunate rebound goal. This 7 minutes of play led to a 2-1 loss for Inter Miami.

COVID-19

You could call it unlucky because the squad was looking promising. A slight individual mistake and questionable refereeing took away three points. Unlucky became the theme as just two days before the club’s first-ever home game, sports came to a halt.

Saturday, March 14 was meant to be the club’s biggest day in their history. As we all know, the world would be changed as we know it as the threat of COVID-19 had hit American soil and spread through the country worse than a wildfire.

After three or four months since MLS last kicked off, the league had a plan to return to play.

MLS is Back Tournament

Inter Miami took part in the MLS is Back Tournament in Group A. The three group stage games all counted towards the 2020 regular season standings so Miami was eager to gain points.

It seemed as though every game was far worse than the first two. And as they went on, the quality, chemistry, and execution seemed to deteriorate.

After a heartbreaking loss to Orlando City with a 96′ winner by Luis Nani, Miami was instantly in trouble. Nani’s goal was due to a defensive error in the box and that was how Miami conceded every game-winning goal in all three group stage games.

A counter-attack in the 63′ where Miami midfielder Wil Trapp completely misjudged a tacked gave Philadelphia their second goal en route to a 2-1 win. In the final match, one where Miami had to win to have a chance at progressing to the group stage, NYCFC took home a 1-0. An overtop through-ball where the Miami defenders were nowhere to be found punished Maimia and sent them back to Fort Lauderdale with an 0-5 regular-season record.

That is the worst start ever by an MLS club.

How to Move Forward?

At some point, Inter Miami has to get points. The disappointment cannot continue as fans have scrutinized the organization from the players to executives.

On August 22, Miami will face Orlando City in a rematch of the first group stage game.

Diego Alonso as an experienced manager should be able to figure out how to gain at least a point in this game. Orlando had a magical run to the final of the tournament and will look to carry that momentum on Saturday.

In no way was Miami tactically outclassed in their Group A matchup. If new singing Leandro Gonzalez Pirez can come in and solidify the backline, it should be a close one. The likes of Lewis Morgan and Rodolfo Pizarro potentially playing alongside Robbie Robinson again should also lead to more chances for Inter Miami. If they’re able to execute and Alonso doesn’t shy away from Orlando and keeps his attack-minded play, Miami could provide the Lions some trouble.

They’ll go on to play Orlando again on September 12th but not before they play both Nashville SC and Atlanta United twice. Atlanta had a rough tournament and Inter Miami will have to take advantage of what went wrong for them recently. For fellow expansion club Nashville SC, talent-wise aren’t as strong as Miami. Their attack has been weak in the first four games we’be seen them play, and if Miami’s defense can be solid with these new signings, they should come away with points.

Prediction

A strong prediction here would be Miami to finish 4-2. These six games will provide the squad and Diego Alonso the opportunity to prove themselves. Realistically, I could see 2 wins, 2 losses, and 2 draws and I’d still be ecstatic. Once this team gets over the hump of finally winning a game, the confidence will be flowing. As long as individual mistakes are avoided, this team has a future.

Make sure to look for tomorrow’s piece on how rumored signings could help this club prosper!