Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, and Matias Rojas are away representing their respective countries in Copa America 2024 leaving a depleted Inter Miami to face a tough stretch of MLS games without them. The first two back-to-back opponents during this stretch, Philadelphia Union and Columbus Crew are traditionally part of the higher echelon of MLS teams and posed major challenges for Miami. Inter Miami passed the tests with grit and determination, and in doing so showed us a little bit of the makeup of this team.
Phenomenal Philly Finish
Miami’s first opponent was the Philadelphia Union away. The Union is not having its best season, yet they are always a tough team to play against, especially on the road. The Herons continued their disturbing trend of finding themselves down early with Michael Uhre putting Philly on top 1-0 just 3′ minutes into the game. Miami tied the game with a Julian Gressel blast early in the second half to set up a dramatic finish.
Down to nine players, after David Ruiz and Tomas Aviles were sent off, Inter Miami scored a last-minute game-winner via Leo Afonso to stun the Philadelphia home crowd. In a sloppy, grind-it-out match and against all odds, the Herons showed a will to win. The team could have easily thrown in the towel when they went down two men late in the game, but they didn’t. Instead, Miami rolled up its sleeves and at the feet of two young promising players snatched a victory out of the jaws of defeat.
AFONSO gives #InterMiamiCF the 1-2 lead with nine players! What an effort after receiving a wonderful outlet pass by Yannick Bright… #MLS
— Xavier Guerrero (@XGLAVOZ) June 16, 2024
Campana Is Ringing It
Leo Campana had a key pass to Jordi Alba in the sequence leading to Inter Miami’s first goal against Philadelphia. Overall, Leo had a good game against Philly. He was strong holding up the ball and absorbing the contact from defenders, all while making himself available as an option for his teammates.
Against Columbus, Campana again was an important factor in the buildup of play and as an outlet for long passes over the top of the Crew midfield. Leo scored the game-winning goal for Miami after his initial header was blocked early in the match.
In Luis Suarez’s absence, Leo Campana is shining and being productive, as expected. Tata Martino has kept Leo engaged and motivated despite playing few minutes behind “El Pistolero”. It shows that Leo knows his role on this team and is willing to keep his ego in check while Tata provides clear expectations to his players.
Leo Campana 🔔 rings one in for #InterMiamiCF to give the Herons the early 2-0 lead after 21 minutes of action
Honestly, an unexpected start for me by the Herons , but it’s wonderful to see against a quality team#MLS
— Xavier Guerrero (@XGLAVOZ) June 20, 2024
Fantastic Fray
Ian Fray has had an injury-filled start to his professional career as a footballer suffering three serious knee injuries in consecutive years. Each time Fray has gone through the arduous process of rehabbing only to experience another setback. The emotional and mental toll is enormous, Ian has gotten back up again- and- again.
Wednesday night against Columbus Ian Fray made his triumphant return, and the script could not have been written any better. The Herons, with a depleted roster, faced the defending MLS champions going into the match as underdogs at home. Fray scored the first goal of the evening and played scintillating defense all night long to lead Miami to a huge 2-1 win. It is extraordinary to have a performance like the one he had after such a long time away from the pitch. Ian embodies the mental and emotional fortitude that this organization wants as the foundation of its culture.
Inter Miami has a gem in Ian Fray, not just because of his enormous physical skill but because of the intangibles he brings to the pitch.
You gotta love ❤️ this Ian Fray storyline for #InterMiamiCF …#MLS https://t.co/sMhqmDCBCO
— Xavier Guerrero (@XGLAVOZ) June 20, 2024
Tata Tactics
Inter Miami is currently leading the Eastern Conference Standings and the Supporter’s Shield race, yet some in the fanbase still want Tata Martino sacked. I’m not sure what their motivation is, but I don’t understand it. I hear Martino is terrible with tactics, yet the last two matches have shown he’s more than capable. The game versus Columbus provides a great example of Martino implementing tactics specifically to slow down the defending champs.
In the postgame press conference, I asked Tata to talk about Benjamin Cremaschi and Yannick Bright, the young pair of midfielders that went up against the Crew and before he gave me his thoughts on the duo he broke down the tactics,
The idea was this, in the first half play a 5v5 out the back and have Robert, Gressel, and Campana to play 3v3 against their three center-backs. They have a form of playing out with their three center-backs close together and with their duo pivots. We proposed playing a 3v3 in the midfield with Benja and Yannick covering Morris and Nagbe.
To this, add the fact that Martino had Busquets sit in between Noah Allen and Sergeii Krystov to protect the defense and give Miami clarity playing the ball out deep from their own territory. Martino also placed Noah Allen, Yannick Bright, and Ian Fray in the starting lineup with each youngster having a solid performance against the champs. I’m not saying Martino is the top coach in professional football, but I am saying that the results so far validate him, and asking for his replacement is just silly.
Young Core
The face of Inter Miami is Lionel Messi and after him Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets, and Jordi Alba, the “Barca Boys.” The veteran players have all the prestige and respect due to the individual and team accomplishments each one has achieved in their storied careers. The younger players who sit behind the veterans on the team have demonstrated that they can be relied upon when their numbers are called. Tata Martino has shown that he is willing to play the youngsters even in big games.
If you look down Inter Miami’s roster you can find many promising players 25 or younger that provide a nice young core for the future. Tomas Aviles, Leo Campana, Facundo Farias, CJ Dos Santos, Ryan Sailor, Ian Fray, Robbie Robinson, Diego Gomez, Tyler Hall, Benjamin Cremaschi, Noah Allen, David Ruiz, Yannick Bright, Federico Redondo, Marcelo Weigandt, Israel Boatwright, Leo Afonso, Santiago Morales, and Cole Jensen.
Inter Miami is not just built to win right now but also has a roster full of young talented players to be the foundation for the future.
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