Inter Miami eliminated, drops to 0-5 after loss to NYCFC in MLS is Back Tournament
Five games. Five losses. Each by a single goal.
Inter Miami is heading home after being eliminated from the MLS is Back Tournament in Orlando with a 1-0 Monday morning loss to New York City FC. Miami lost all three of its group games and dropped to 0-5 in its inaugural season.
With the loss, Inter Miami earned the dubious distinction of becoming the first expansion team in league history to start 0-5 in its first season. Chivas USA in 2005 and Montreal Impact in 2012 started winless through five games, but both had one tie.
This is not what South Florida soccer fans envisioned when co-owners David Beckham and Jorge Mas launched the team amid much fanfare and high expectations. There were promises of big-name signings and an attractive, attacking style of soccer that would delight the team’s soccer-savvy fan base.
“The team is in a tough spot right now,” said captain and goalkeeper Luis Robles. “Everyone is disappointed with the way the tournament went, the way the game went, and I think it’s inevitable to feel this way if you’re 0-5. It’s definitely one of the biggest challenges of my life and easily one of the biggest challenges of my professional career.
“And yet, I think as a leader it’s important that you don’t become discouraged because disappointments happen in life but discouragement is a mindset and as a leader of this team, I’m not going to allow this team to choose that mindset. We know we’re in a difficult place right now, but the only thing we can do is stick together, commit to the process, continue to believe in each other and demand more from each other and not get too fixated on the results. If we can do that, we’ll turn this around.”
Mexican playmaker Rodolfo Pizarro, in pink-streaked hair, once again showed why Inter Miami paid $12 million for him, but time and again he would win the ball in midfield only to find himself looking for help in the attack. As the game wore on, NYCFC kept the ball away from Pizarro, frustrating him and stifling Miami’s offense.
Back in South Florida, Inter Miami chief operating officer Paul McDonough has been busy trying sign the two elite players the club has been promising since its launch. Among the names that have been recently linked to the team are Willian, David Silva and Edinson Cavani, but none of those talks have yet resulted in a contract.
The team did recently add Argentine center back Leandro Gonzalez Pirez, who played for Atlanta United and spent the past six months in the Mexican league; but he was ineligible to compete in the MLS is Back Tournament. He will now join the active roster and is expected to bolster the back line with his experience and aggressive play.
Miami must now wait at least a month to resume its season, as the MLS is Back Tournament continues through Aug. 11 and the league plan is to continue the regular season in home stadiums in late-August or early-September.
“We are realistic and we know we have a lot of work to do to get better,” coach Diego Alonso said. “We have four weeks to improve, and we expect a few new players to join us, which should help us become a better team.”
Miami had two decent scoring chances in the first half on headers by Juan Agudelo and Nico Figal, but both were saved by New York goalkeeper Sean Johnson, a Jamaican-American who played at the University of Central Florida.
The Miami offense was sluggish in the second half, creating few scoring opportunities. And the back line was caught sleeping on New York’s winning goal by Ismael Tajouri-Shradi in the 68th minute. Alexandru Mitrita sent a 35-yard high-arching pass over the heads of Miami defenders Figal and Mikey Ambose to Tajouri-Shradi, who shot the ball to the far post past goalkeeper Robles.
Figal echoed Robles’ comments that the players remain optimistic and committed.
“It is logical to be frustrated after being eliminated so early in the tournament,” Figal said. “But no one can tell me we are a bad team. I think the players we have on this roster have the ability to turn things around. I expect we will hurt for a few days and when we resume we will come out with a lot of effort. Each of us must look inside and decide what more we can bring the group. There is no need to look outside because right now it’s about staying more united than ever.”
Figal stressed that all five games have been close, and that “a grain of sand” was the difference, and each player must work hard to close that small gap.
Alonso made two changes in the Miami starting lineup from the previous game against Philadelphia. Mikey Ambrose replaced Ben Sweat in the back and MLS veteran Agudelo, who scored in the tournament opener against Orlando City, returned to the starting XI in place of 20-year-old league newcomer Julian Carranza.
Sweat and Carranza both came off the bench in the 68th minute, replacing Ambrose and Matias Pellegrini. Veteran midfielder Lee Nguyen came in for Wil Trapp, and made an immediate impact, but by then it was too late.
Robles dismissed the suggestion that maybe expectations were too high after recent successes of expansion teams Atlanta United and Los Angeles FC.
“When you look around the league and see what expansion’s been like the last few years, there have been massive success stories. When you look up all the characteristics that make up this story, it’s only natural that the expectations are going to be high,” he said. “But the reason I don’t feel we need to temper those is because I look at the guys in our locker room. After the game, some really big personalities spoke that had some wisdom to share…guys that have won MLS titles and in Mexico, real winners in there. As we go through the chaos, there will be opportunities. I’m not going to make excuses, but the fact of the matter is, it’s been a really challenging season for a variety of reasons on top of expansion. But out of chaos comes opportunity, and we’ll figure this thing out.”
This story was originally published July 20, 2020 at 12:48 PM.