Tag Archive for: Inter Miami CF

Grading Inter Miami After 2-1 Loss

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Inter Miami is the soccer version of the pre-tank Dolphins of the 2000s. You can see the flashes of brilliance and the capability to go toe-to-toe with anyone, anytime…but you can also see the brain farts, the lack of a killer instinct and the overall lack of discipline of a team that is not only still looking for its first ever MLS win, but also is on life support in the MLS Is Back tournament. Grading Inter Miami is not easy.

All Inter Miami can hope for now is to advance as one of the four best third-place teams with a win against NYCFC next Monday and a combination of other results.

Let’s get into the individual grades for Miami, shall we?

Important note: Only those who played at least 30 minutes will be graded. Those who didn’t will receive an Incomplete unless they did something otherworldly or were vital to the final outcome of the match.

Grading Inter Miami

Luis Robles (6): Second consecutive match with two goals allowed for the captain and 36-year-old veteran, but he bore no real responsibility in either one and prevented the final score from being 3-1 with a couple of key interventions during injury time.

Jorge Figal (2): The 26-year-old from Argentina was mediocre in the tournament debut, but straight up awful against Philadelphia. Incredibly naïve, out of position and nowhere to be seen during the Union counterattack that caught the Inter defense with its pants down after a basic free kick in its favor.

Román Torres (4): Made the crossbar tremble in what would have been the 83rd minute equalizer, but also fell into the defense´s general confusion and did nothing to fix it.

Andrés Reyes (3): Received two yellow cards that turned into a red and left Miami without his services for the final match of the group stage. Slow and indecisive, that may not be such a bad thing.

Ben Sweat (4): Got caught with his metaphorical pants down as the last man standing between the Union attackers and Robles during the second goal. Would not have been that much more embarrassing if his shorts had been pulled down.

Víctor Ulloa (5): Got lost in the shuffle, nowhere near as good as against Orlando City. Couldn´t establish himself and seemed torn between trying to lend a hand to a confused defense or help the offensive effort. Did neither in the end.

Will Trapp (3,5): A night to forget as he was personally responsible for the first Union goal, out of position and couldn´t cover his man down the right side before the cross. Yellow carded in the 38th minute, unceremoniously replaced in the 68th.

Rodolfo Pizarro (6,5): His back-heel pass and goal were a thing of beauty, but he also came and went in the match without being able to assert himself like Miami needed him too. He made a difference, but needs to do it more consistently for 90+ minutes.

Other Grades:

Lewis Morgan (7): The best Inter Miami had to offer in the entire night. The way he orchestrated the goal blazing down the middle before connecting with Pizarro. Finding Pellegrini at full speed was something that should be taught to kids everywhere. His speed was trouble for the Union defense all night long.

Matías Pellegrini (5): Assisted Pizarro for the goal, and nothing else. Muted effort for the Argentinian winger. Replaced by Kiesewetter in the 68th minute.

Julián Carranza (3): I said he is a better striker than Agudelo, but he wasn´t against Philly.   Scatterbrained and wasteful. Could have scored once in the first half and twice in the second. Especially in the 72nd minute with the score 1-1 and a golden opportunity all alone against the goalie that went for naught. He thought he was offside and reacted too late when he realized that he wasn´t.

Jerome Kiesewetter (5): An almost-header of his deflected by a Union defender nearly resulted in a penalty kick for Miami. But VAR reversed it correctly.

Lee Nguyen (4): Missing in action for 30 minutes after coming in for Trapp.

Mikey Ambrose (Inc.): Not much he could do after coming in for Sweat in the 87th minute.

Jay Chapman (Inc.):   Unable to generate much of anything after entering the match alongside Ambrose.   

Inter Miami

Orlando City 2-1 Inter Miami: Grading Inter Miami

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Inter Miami had its official induction as a Miami team delivering its fans the first “What the hell just happened?” loss of its brief and winless existence as Nani completed Orlando City’s comeback victory with a 97th minute goal that sealed the fate of Diego Alonso’s squad in the inaugural match of the MLS Is Back tournament.

The match was a rollercoaster of emotions with goals, crazy injuries and a moving Black Lives Matter demonstration by both teams. However, Inter Miami itself was a mixed bag. They will have to make important tweaks ahead of a must-win matchup against the Chicago Fire next Tuesday.

Let’s take a look at how each Inter Miami player fared by grading them individually from 1 to 10.

Important note: Only those who played at least 30 minutes will be graded. Those who didn’t will receive an Incomplete unless they did something otherworldly or were vital to the final outcome of the match.

Grading Inter Miami

Luis Robles (5): Inter Miami’s goalkeeper started out great with an amazing diving save in the 22nd minute with the match still 0-0, but he could and should have done more in Orlando City’s first goal as the ball crossed the box and he remained paralyzed under the crossbar. Nothing for him to do in Nani’s goal.

 

Andrés Reyes (7): Reyes was having a great night as the leader of the five-man defense until Dom Dwyer’s vicious elbow sent him to the hospital in the 58th minute. The Colombian back showed great poise, and his absence destabilized the Inter Miami defense. The tying Orlando City goal came just a couple of minutes after his exit.

Ben Sweat (3): The complete opposite of Reyes. Insecure and full of doubts. He tried to score off a free kick with his hand, but he is no Maradona. He looked lost, and to make things worse Nani´s goal came off a silly deflection off his shin as he clumsily stumbled into a teammate trying to clear a cross in the heart of the box.

Mikey Ambrose (5): The left back was a non-factor against his former team. Didn´t have trouble on defense, but didn´t contribute on offense either.

Jorge Figal (3): The Argentinian veteran is supposed to be a steadying presence, but instead he seemed to be skittish and unnerved by Mueller and especially Dwyer, Orlando City´s only “true” forward.  He wasn’t paying attention and the ball deflected off him after the cross before it found Nani.

Dylan Nealls (3,5): Nealls lost to Nani way more than he won in their personal duel. The difference in speed and talent between him and a world-class player like Nani was evident as the world-class Portuguese midfielder left him in the dust before the assist for Orlando’s first goal.

Will Trapp (6): The central midfielder had the hockey assist in Agudelo´s goal and was crisp and tried to partner up with Matías Pellegrini before being replaced by Jay Chapman in the 79th minute. All in all, correct performance.

Víctor Ulloa (8): Very versatile next to Trapp and did a great job appearing in the box by surprise to serve Agudelo the scoring chance in a silver platter. Inter Miami´s Man of the Match.

Matías Pellegrini (7,5): Talking about scoring chances in silver platters, the 20-year-old Argentinian midfielder was the team´s main and best offensive threat all match long. He should have had an assist in the 8th minute with a great play, but Agudelo missed the point blank shot in the most unexplainable way.

 

Lewis Morgan (6): Another good option on offense down the right side, but he needs to stand out more if he wants to have steady minutes in the long run.

Juan Agudelo (6): Started out like a 2 missing the aforementioned chance created by Pellegrini´s cross, and then tried to score from midfield in the first half. Credit to him, though, for being where a striker should be to score. Got lost in the shuffle during the last 40 minutes as Orlando City dominated.

SUBS

Rodolfo Pizarro (6): The Mexican star came in for Reyes in the 58th minute and tried to provide a spark with his talent and creativity.

Julian Carranza (Inc.): Replaced Agudelo in the 73rd  minute. He is the superior striker and got yellow carded 10 minutes later.

Luis Argudo (Inc.): Came into the match in the 78th minute in place of Morgan as part of a triple substitution by coach Diego Alonso.

Lee Nguyen (Inc.): Nguyen is trying to regain his 2014 form and was dynamic during his 20 minutes of action in place of Pellegrini in the 78th minute. Don´t be surprised if he is more of a factor in the next two matches.

Jay Chapman (Inc.): Came in for Trapp. Almost made it 2-1 Inter Miami in the 88th minute with a header that just missed.

     

 

 

 

Inter Miami Adds MLS Talent Through Expansion Draft

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Five selections were made on Tuesday night in the MLS Expansion Draft for Inter Miami, thus bringing more new names to the club’s first ever roster. The draft provided both expansion teams, Inter Miami CF and Nashville SC, the opportunity to add players from other MLS clubs onto their roster. Inter Miami had the first pick.

A breakdown of Inter Miami’s Picks

Ben Sweat went off the board at number one and was just an overall logical pick. Left back in MLS is one of the thinnest positions league- wide. Being able to bring on someone like Sweat is extremely valuable. Although losing his starting role last year for NYCFC, Sweat has proven throughout the years he’s a reliable piece on the backline. He also fills in a position Inter Miami have not yet been able to fill. Sweat is also a Florida native, and having gone to USF and playing in Florida conditions growing up, the climate down in Fort Lauderdale come Spring should serve no issue. The 28 year old has also made two international appearances with the US Men’s National Team, debuting in October of 2018. His experience in MLS with both NYCFC and Columbus Crew will provide Sweat a leadership role on and off the pitch.

After Nashville SC went on to take Abu Danladi with their first pick, Paul McDonough announced that Inter would take a right back with their second pick. Filling out the back line seemed to be the priority for Inter Miami coming into the Expansion Draft as Alvas Powell is set to be making his way down to South Beach. The Jamaican International will most likely start at right back playing across from Sweat, and his youth and experience is something Inter Miami hope to rely on.

Powell debuted for the Jamaican national team in 2012 at 18 years old. Since then he’s gone on to be capped 43 times. It’s a remarkable record at a youthful age. Powell is a player to look forward to for Inter fans as he’s even scored six goals in his MLS career dating back to 2013. From Portland to then the expansion team FC Cincinnati, Powell has gone through the beginning of an MLS franchise before, so that experience will also be valuable.

Inter Miami brings a veteran, MLS star to the fold

A true MLS veteran was next taken by Inter Miami as Lee Nguyen, a name most MLS fans are extremely familiar with, will be joining “La Familia.” Nguyen, the once attacking midfielder saw a much deeper role last season as instructed by Bob Bradley of LAFC. Though it seems from the outside like a good move as LAFC won the Supporters Shield with the best record in MLS, Nguyen’s natural role is playing as a number 10. Throughout his 239 games played in MLS, most of the 54 goals he’s scored has come from that position.

With his experience does come some age. At 33, it was questioned whether or not Nguyen would be the player taken from LAFC in the draft or if it would be Tyler Miller. Inter Miami are confident with taking  Nguyen. He is an experienced player whose also seen time with the National Team. So look for Nguyen to be feeding in balls and sharing some interplay with the likes of Julian Carranza up top from his natural attacking mid position.

McDonough then announced that with Inter Miami’s fourth pick, they’d be taking Luis Argudo from Columbus Crew. This was much of a lesser- known pick by Inter compared to the previous three. Argudo had only entered the league from the MLS SuperDraft in 2018. At 23, Argudo is a young talent with a lot to prove. However, he’ll fit right in Miami. He’s bilingual and claims to represent both Colombian and Ecuadorian heritage along with being American. What also should be noted, Paul McDonough spent time as an assistant at Wake Forest University, which is where Luis Argudo attended college. This pick was influenced by the potential, and most likely the connection to a player from the front office, which gives insight on Argudo’s character.

Meredith will be a valuable piece to team

With Inter Miami’s final pick in the MLS Expansion Draft, they took a Seattle Sounders’ fan favorite in goalkeeper Bryan Meredith. Though he spent a lot of time as a backup in Seattle, Meredith will absolutely compete for the starting goalkeeper spot. He’s also a player any club loves to have around. He was extremely active in Seattle’s community and is also active with the MLSPA.

It’ll be great for Inter Miami to have a guy like this at least in the locker room. Time will tell if he cracks the starting lineup on March 14th against the LA Galaxy. With Tyler Miller becoming a free agent after not being taken in the Expansion Draft, arguably the best keeper in the league is up for grabs. The reports to come out of Los Angeles told that LAFC and Miller were not agreeing to terms. If Inter are willing to throw around some cash, Miller could be headed down to Miami when the free agent period opens up. That would give Meredith the ultimate test, but he surely comes as good insurance.

Inter Miami’s roster features several names

Inter Miami’s roster for the upcoming season now looks like this:

  • Drake Callender – Goalkeeper
  • Bryan Meredith – Goalkeeper
  • Ben Sweat – Defender
  • Alvas Powell – Defender
  • Christian Makoun – Defender
  • Grant Lillard – Defender
  • Lee Nguyen – Midfielder
  • Luis Argudo – Midfielder
  • Jay Chapman – Midfielder
  • David Norman Jr. – Midfielder
  • Victor Ulloa – Midfielder
  • Matias Pellegrini – Midfielder
  • George Acosta – Midfielder
  • Julian Carranza – Forward
  • Jerome Kiesewetter – Forward

 

Jerome Kiesewetter Set to Join Inter Miami

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In the week before the MLS Expansion Draft, Inter Miami CF have made multiple moves to bolster up their team going into the club’s first year. They’ve now added their 9th player to the official inaugural roster, Jerome Kiesewetter.

Kiesewetter is no stranger to American soccer or joining clubs in their first year as he spent last season with El Paso Locomotive FC in the USL Championship. El Paso’s inaugural year was quite the success. After making it to the Western Conference Semi-Final, their entire season was led by the 12 goals Kiesewetter scored in 28 games. As the top goalscorer, Kiesewetter went through the year looking like a reliable striker when he was healthy. He did battle injury along the way, but he showed consistent form when he returned to the pitch.

At 26 years of age, Kiesewetter’s experience is well surprising. Before playing with Locomotive last year, he was with Fortuna Düsseldorf of the Bundesliga for two years. And years before that he climbed through the ranks of German soccer starting in youth academies and eventually making his way to the first division.

His 17 caps with the US Men’s U-23 side and 2 caps with the National Team, are another great feat in Kiesewetter’s young career. He’s scored a total of 8 goals playing with various US Men’s sides. This, along with top tier soccer in Germany, seem to prove as worthy experience as Beckham looks to bring in goal scoring threats to his first Inter Miami side.

Inter Miami also went on to acquire Grant Lillard, an experienced MLS defender before the Expansion Draft that takes place this Tuesday. With nine players set to already join, and a potential five more to be added Tuesday, the roster has finally taken shape.

Fans now wait for the much anticipated coach and “star” to be announced.

 

Silva signing shows Inter Miami roster coming together

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The Independent has reported that Inter Miami CF are likely to sign David Silva. From the beginning the club was almost built off the idea that they would bring in at least one major name to be the face of the franchise.

David Silva, a World Cup winner and recent Premier League champion, and someone who at the age of 33 played in over 40+ games for the champions of English soccer, is an ideal place to start.

Since 2010, Silva has been a dominant player for Manchester City whos been very consistent at the highest level.

After his arrival from Valencia, City have won four Premier League titles with Silva making a major impact every year. He’s a creative midfielder who excels at keeping the ball at his feet and is one to make all the right passes.

If Silva joins Inter Miami, owners David Beckham and Jorge Mas will be looking to build a team around his quality midfield abilities.

That team that will allegedly be around Silva has already taken shape. Matias Pellegrini, Julián Carranza, Christian Makoun, David Norman Jr. and Miami Native George Acosta are the first five official signings, with Pellegrini being the first reported designated player for Inter. Silva would likely take up the second of the three DP spots on the roster.

A designated player on an MLS roster is one whose earnings do not count fully towards the salary budget. The MLS allows teams up to three players per roster to be these said designated players, and clubs will use these spots for known stars and incoming young talent.

In Pellegrini’s case, he will be considered a young designated player, and the salary charged to the budget will be $150,000. For someone like Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who will make over $7 million this year from LA Galaxy, the club’s salary budget is only charged $480,625. The MLS salary budget for the clubs senior roster, up to 20 players, is $4,240,000.

At 19 years of age, Matias Pellegrini will be joining Inter Miami from Estudiantes, an Argentine first division side. In his first season with Estudiantes he was responsible for 4 goals and 1 assist in 19 games. He’s a young talent who is bound to be developed by Inter, and he’ll have to look forward to playing on the left wing next to Julián Carranza, who happens to be Argentine as well.

Also 19, Julián Carranza is heading to Miami from Club Atlético Banfield, another Argentine first division side. Carranza is a young talent who worked his way up from Banfield’s U20 side all the way to the first team in a matter of a couple years.

The last two seaons, Carranza has played in a total of 32 games for Banfield, and has managed to slot in 19 goals and give off 9 assists on top of that. An extremely impressive record at any level of football. He’ll look to be that goal scoring threat for Inter come 2020.

Christian Makoun, another 19 year old (are we seeing a pattern here?), is a center back who will be coming over to South Florida after playing with Juventus in Italy, and Zamora, a club from his home country of Venezuela.

This was Inter Miami’s first defensive signing, and like their first pair of players, will look to be developed as a young star in the club’s early years.

The first North American acquisition for Inter happens to be a Canadian International whos currently on loan at Pacific FC.

David Norman Jr. plays in the Canadian Premier League, but has been on the mainstage of the MLS whilst playing for Vancouver Whitecaps FC. The 21 year old is a known attacking midfield player, whos had 3 appearances for the Canadian U23 side.

And with the clubs most recent signing, they’ve decided to sign yet another 19 year old player, George Acosta. A United States international whos hometown happens to be Miami, Acosta will be headed over from Austin Bold FC, a USL Championship club. Acosta has spent time in Argentina playing with Boca Juniors, and scored a goal in the U17 World Cup with the US.

It seems as though youth is the priority here, and the five officially announced young players will be joining Inter Miami CF in January 2020.

If David Silva were to sign, he’d likely miss a couple of months of the season as the Premier League would be in full swing come January. A mid season transfer for Silva in the Summer Window of 2020 is something for Inter fans to really get excited for. If not, youth talent and the conception of an MLS club in South Florida has already seemed to do the trick.

 

Conoce a Christian Makoun, tercer refuerzo del Inter Miami

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Christian Makoun fue anunciado este martes por el Internacional de Miami como su tercer fichaje de cara a lo que será su debut en la MLS en la temporada 2020.

El venezolano de 19 años llega a Miami y es el tercer jugador de esa edad que contrata el Inter, que aún sigue sin dar luz sobre quién será su director técnico.

Makoun, quien fue capitán de la selección venezolana sub-20 en  sudamericano de Chile que daba cupos al mundial Polonia 2019, es una apuesta muy interesante del nuevo equipo de Miami.

La presentación del refuerzo de parte del equipo fue admirable. Escuche su historia, desde su natal Venezuela, hasta llegar a la ciudad del sol, en su propia voz:

Pocos recuerdan que Makoun estuvo en el subcampeonato del mundo hace un par de años en Corea del Sur.

Su último club fue la Primavera de la Juventus FC, club en el que tuvo 21 apariciones y marcó tres goles. En ese combinado Sub-23 jugó siete encuentros en la UEFA Youth League y otro en la Copa Italia.

Makoun tuvo 21 apariciones para la Juventus marcando tres  goles para el equipo U-23, incluidos 13 partidos de temporada regular junto con siete en la UEFA Youth League y uno en la Copa Italia.

“Estamos felices de agregar un jugador joven con una sólida experiencia tanto en Europa como en Sudamérica a la lista del Inter Miami”, dijo el Director Deportivo del Inter Miami FC, Paul McDonough.

El directivo también añadió que Christian Makoun “es un jugador con buena reputación y buen carácter. Nos ha demostrado que se esfuerza por representarse a sí mismo y a su país de origen al más alto nivel, y esta es la mentalidad que queremos construir en Inter Miami”.

Disfrute de la transmisión en vivo que hicieron Bruno Gómez, de 90 + Cinco, y Alejandro Villegas, de Cinco Razones Podcast, sobre Christian Makoun, el Barcelona-Napoli en Miami y la nueva etapa de Wayne Rooney en Europa.

 

Con informacion de SportsVenezuela.com