Pizarro back, Robinson motivated, plus news on MLS playoffs, FIFA World Cup venue visit
Inter Miami midfielder Rodolfo Pizarro returned home Thursday morning after spending 12 days on Mexican national team duty. Coach Phil Neville is hopeful he will be ready to play on Saturday against the Columbus Crew.
Pizarro is scheduled to train with the team Friday after taking Thursday off.
“I’m looking forward to getting him back,” Neville said. “He left in really good form and ideally I want to put him straight back in, but you’ve got to weigh the effects of the international break, how he is when he comes back and the fact that we have three important games coming up.”
Inter Miami, which has lost just once in nine games, has three games during a seven-day span — Saturday at home against Columbus, Tuesday on the road at Toronto and Friday at home against the New York Red Bulls.
Miami is in 10th place in the Eastern Conference standings, four points shy of a playoff spot with 13 games remaining.
“It’s real difficult when you come back from international play, it’s purely individual,” Neville said of Pizarro. “He got minutes Wednesday night, probably not as many as he wanted. Was not involved in the weekend game and was a substitute in the first game. He will be fresh, it’s just whether he’s got enough intense training. Hopefully he’ll be 100 percent fit to play.”
Robbie Robinson recharged
Robbie Robinson did not start against Cincinnati on Saturday because Neville felt he was tired physically and mentally after traveling to Chile for national team camp and deciding to head home after 48 hours. Neville expects Robinson to be a key player against Columbus.
“With young people…when you have children you look in their eyes and their face and can tell without even speaking whether they’re tired, the drawn eyes..Robbie looked mentally and physically tired when he got back,” Neville said. “It was a real big week for him and he made a real brave decision and we wanted to take him out of the firing line against Cincinnati.”
Neville said Robinson has been “fantastic” in training this week.
“He has a bit between his teeth and is ready to go again,” Neville said. “He’s going to be a big player for us. We need goals now. To win these games you need to score more than one goal. You need two or three goals and he’s someone that gives us great options.”
Injury update
Kieran Gibbs (groin), Ryan Shawcross (back), Federico Higuain (thigh), Joevin Jones (knee), Ventura Alvarado (knee) remain out for the next game.
Goalkeeper Diop in camp
Former Montreal CF goalkeeper Clement Diop is training with Inter Miami, trying out for a spot on the roster.
Diop, 27, parted ways with Montreal on Aug. 17. He was the starter in 2020 under Thierry Henry and continued as their starter this season before picking up an injury. He made 30 appearances with Montréal.
Front office news
Inter Miami hired Meghan Cameron as director of player personnel and compliance. She previously worked at Sporting Kansas City, where she was an assistant director of player personnel from Dec. 2017 to Sept. 2021; the team topped the Western Conference twice during her time there.
“Meghan is an impressive professional and will be a welcomed addition to the Front Office,” Inter Miami sporting director Chris Henderson. “She will provide guidance on daily matters impacting the Soccer Operations Department, including ensuring compliance with all roster rules and regulations.”
In addition to working for Kansas City, she worked as a Senior Manager of Player Personnel & Competition for MLS.
FIFA World Cup visit
A FIFA delegation will visit Hard Rock Stadium and potential South Florida training sites on Sept. 23 as part of the venue selection process for the 2026 World Cup. Inter Miami’s DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, FIU, Barry University and the Dolphins’ practice facility could be considered for training sites. Officials will visit nine cities over nine days from Sept. 15-23 -- Boston, Nashville, Atlanta, Orlando, Washington DC, Baltimore, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia and Miami.
The remaining U.S. bidding venues, as well as those in Canada and Mexico, will be visited by the end of November. FIFA plans to select the World Cup sites by the first quarter of 2022.
MLS playoff dates
MLS on Thursday announced the 2021 playoff dates. First-round matches are Nov. 20, 21, 23. Conference semifinals are Nov. 25, 28, 30. Conference finals are Dec. 4-5 and the MLS Cup is Dec. 11.
First responder tributes
Inter Miami will host a Miami-Dade vs. Broward First Responders Futbol Tournament on Friday as part of its weekend 9/11 tribute plans. Inter Miami players on Tuesday made a surprise visit to Baptist Health medical personnel at Boca Raton Regional Hospital.
“We’re not heroes at all, the real heroes are the people we went to see Tuesday, the people who save lives, who put their own lives and families’ lives on the line to save others,” Neville said. “Firefighters, policemen, policewomen, nurses, doctors. We owe them a great deal. A small gesture of us showing our appreciation goes a long way when they’ve had such dark moments. We must never, ever forget the courageous acts these people do for us to have safely in our lives.”
Lack of respect?
Asked whether it bothers him that his team has not gotten much national recognition during its recent run of success, Neville replied: “I don’t think we’ll ever get any credit from MLS. That’s for sure. That’s par for the course. We wear pink. We’re different and we want to be different We have a fence around this football club and everyone within our fence, within our boundaries know exactly where we’re going. That’s part of the mentality we created at the start of the season when we knew we were up against it, people outside the club who wanted to say bad things, criticize us for everything we were doing, but that comes with the territory we have, the ownership, the stadium, the pink that we wear. It inspires and motivates us.”
This story was originally published September 9, 2021 at 5:09 PM.