Inter Miami forward Robbie Robinson opens up about rocky rookie season, fresh start
Inter Miami forward Robbie Robinson was born and raised in Camden, South Carolina, a town of 7,000 known for horse farms, fox hunts, and horse-drawn carriage rides through its historic district. It has been called “The Steeplechase Capital of the World” and is home to the National Steeplechase Museum.
The biggest event in town is the annual running of the Carolina Cup steeplechase horse race, a rite of spring that draws more than 70,000 fans from throughout the Southeast United States.
Robinson unwinds by fly-fishing for rainbow trout in North Carolina, running through wooded trails, riding his dirt bike, and attending his younger sister’s soccer games.
One major reason he chose to play at Clemson University is because it was two and a half hours from home, and his family could visit often and attend all his games.
So, adjusting to life as the No. 1 MLS Draft pick in South Florida in early 2020 was more than a bit overwhelming for a guy who sheepishly admits “deep, deep down, I’m a little bit of a country boy.”
At 20 years old, he was living out of state for the first time, unaccustomed to big-city life, shouldering the pressure of playing for a high-profile club, and trying to fit in a locker room where most of his teammates were older than him and speaking Spanish. Robinson’s mother was born in Chile, but he does not speak Spanish.
Despite the challenges, he had success on the field early in the season. He started the first two games and showed great promise. Then, the pandemic hit, and Robinson’s rookie season began to sour.
“Last year was tough,” Robinson said on a Zoom interview Tuesday night. “Dealing with COVID and dealing with being in a whole new environment I had never experienced before. When COVID hit we were trapped in our own house for what seemed like a year. It was tough, especially because I didn’t have any family here, so I was alone most of the time. I’m very much a family person, love being around my family, so it was hard.”
His teammates were mostly keeping to themselves to stay COVID safe, so Robinson relied on Titus, his French Bulldog, for companionship. Before the pandemic, Robinson had driven to Tampa to buy the dog.
“He’s amazing, I love him,” Robinson said of Titus. “I always had in mind when I dreamed of playing, I wanted a dog to go through the journey with me. I thought that would be cool. Now we have another French Bulldog, my girlfriend’s dog, Lulu. Dog is a man’s best friend, right? They have helped me a lot.”
Robinson said he learned life lessons from those months in isolation. “You learn how to be more independent and survive on your own,” he said.
But still, he felt distressed and uneasy, and longed for family time. On July 6, just after Inter Miami arrived in Orlando for the MLS is Back Tournament, Robinson left the team “for personal reasons” and went home to be with his family. He returned in mid-August but played limited minutes and never regained the form or confidence he had early on.
“It was hard being away from soccer, it’s what I love to do,” Robinson said. “There were times I thought, `What am I doing?’ But everything works out. I watched every game and stayed in contact with [then-coach] Diego Alonso and [then-sporting director] Paul McDonough.”
The team parted ways with Alonso and McDonough after the season, and Robinson didn’t know what to expect from new coach Phil Neville or sporting director Chris Henderson.
“I came in not knowing what to think from last year, so I was a little apprehensive,” he said. “But I warmed up to everything going on and I want to be a part of this team.”
He has developed a good relationship with Neville, who is known for his people skills. Neville has high hopes for the young striker.
“Robbie has been outstanding in preseason training and going into games and friendlies the next few weeks we’ll ask him to push his level up even more,” Neville said. “On Day 1, he came in as quite shy, quite reserved, but now I see a boy who is laughing, joking, in with his teammates. He is regaining his mojo and confidence. When you enjoy training and are scoring goals, that allows you to go out and express yourself.”
He said Robinson has a high ceiling.
“We have a big talent on our hands with Robbie,” Neville said. “He can go as far as he possibly can, depending on how much he’s prepared to work for it and want it.”
His teammates have also noticed a difference in Robinson.
Asked which player stands out from camp thus far, midfielder Rodolfo Pizarro said: “Robbie has improved a lot. This could be a very good year for him. He has a lot of good qualities, and I think he will be very important for the team. It was tough year for him because of the virus, he couldn’t see his family, he was alone. Being a starter at such a young age, he was a little nervous, that affected him. But now he has more experience.”
Robinson grew up a Manchester United fan. Neville and Inter Miami owner David Beckham were among his boyhood heroes.
“Phil has so much to teach from his time at Manchester United,” Robinson said. “I used to watch him and Beckham all the time as a kid. It’s kind of crazy that he’s my coach and I get to learn from him every single day along with David. At first it’s like `Wow, David Beckham’s over there. That’s crazy. I’m next to this man.’ But the more you’re around him, you get used to it.
“Phil welcomed me back to the team. He said, `This is a new start. It’s all up to you right now. We have faith in you. You just have to go out there and show what you’re made of.’’’
Back in December, Robinson went fly fishing with his father and sister in North Conway, N.C.
“It’s a trophy stream where they stock the river with fish,” he said. “It’s beautiful. Clear water, mountains, fresh air. Relaxing, but we still compete. I always want to compete in everything, so we compete for who can catch the most and biggest fish.”
So, who won?
“I did,” Robinson said, breaking into a huge grin. “Caught the most and the biggest. A 24-inch rainbow trout. It was huge.”
A good omen for Inter Miami? Time will tell.
This story was originally published March 25, 2021 at 7:00 AM.