Inter Miami ties Nashville SC 0-0 without Higuains, Figal. 17-year-old makes debut
To the casual Inter Miami fan, a 0-0 tie might not seem worthy of celebration; but considering it was on the road against Nashville SC, with three key starters missing and a 17-year-old coming off the bench in his MLS debut, it makes sense that coach Phil Neville was beaming with pride.
“In a strange way, it was probably the performance I enjoyed the most out of the three we had so far because we got to show qualities that maybe people outside the club didn’t think this squad had in terms of fight, togetherness and spirit, and having to dig deep,” said Neville. “You think about the young boys we had on the pitch at the end. From a manager’s point of view, I’m really pleased with a clean sheet.”
Through three games under Neville, Miami has one win, one tie, and one loss. Last season, the team started 0-5. Heading into next Sunday’s home game against Atlanta United, Inter Miami is in sixth place in the Eastern Conference standings.
Inter Miami’s lineup Sunday looked quite different from the first two games without Gonzalo Higuain, Robbie Robinson, and Nico Figal in the Starting XI. Higuain’s brother, Federico, the hero off the bench last weekend, was also missing.
The Higuain brothers, who scored both goals in last week’s road win at Philadelphia, spent the week in Argentina after the death of their mother. They returned to South Florida on Friday, but because they flew commercial, they are required to quarantine five days per MLS COVID rules.
Inter Miami players showed their support for the Higuain family by lining up with a black and pink banner that read: “Fuerza Familia Higuain”.
Left winger Robinson injured a hamstring last week and Neville said Thursday he was not expected to play. He was a surprise 67th-minute replacement for Rodolfo Pizarro, who moved from playmaker to center forward in the absence of Higuain and looked tired after spending all week in Mexico acquiring his green card. He flew on a charter flight back to Miami on Thursday night.
Robinson had a dangerous breakaway before being fouled in a controversial play near the top of the box (For the record, after initially thinking Nashville defender Walker Zimmerman should have been sent off with a red card for the takedown, Neville said the referee was “spot on” with his yellow card decision).
Robinson then re-tweaked the hamstring and left the game after just 11 minutes on the field. He was replaced by first-round draft pick Josh Penn. Neville defended his decision to play Robinson.
“Robbie’s ok,” Neville said. “You saw the run when he went through and the boy pulled him down. That’s the run of someone that obviously is fully fit. That’s what we trusted. He wanted to play. The plan before the game was not to even have him anywhere near the sub’s bench, but we wanted him to travel. He came to me this morning and said, `Coach, I want to play, I want to be involved.’ We warmed him up, he did sprints, he ticked every box. It’s one of those things.”
Robinson, in his second MLS season, is still learning how to listen to his body, Neville said.
“He’s a young boy, still educating himself in terms of what is pain? What is tightness?” Neville said. “With young players, sometimes they don’t know their own bodies. That comes with experience. You think about the durability that Blaise Matuidi has developed over the last 10 to 15 years. He knows his own body. Robbie doesn’t. He’s still developing that. He’s a very, very young 22-year-old who is still learning about behaviors of professional football and elite performance and how to prepare. He’s disappointed, but we ticked every box and did the due diligence.”
Figal, meanwhile, was listed as a starter, but scratched 10 minutes before kickoff after experiencing hamstring tightness during warmups. Neville said he should be fine in a few days. Figal had been shifted to right back, as former Stoke City veteran Ryan Shawcross made his first MLS start at center back. With Figal out, Kelvin Leerdam started, and had his best game of the season.
The Miami defense withstood several dangerous Nashville attacks, and kept Hany Mukhtar and Randall Leal at bay. Goalkeeper John McCarthy made a couple of big saves.
“I was delighted with Ryan, didn’t surprise me one bit,” Neville said. “He just came in and looked like he’s been playing MLS football all his life. That’s what he’s been like from Day One.”
Shawcross said it felt good to play the full 90 after taking some time to get acclimated. He also praised teammate Brek Shea, who saw his first action of the season off the bench. They played together at Stoke City.
“Brek has helped me get settled and showed why he’s a massive asset to the squad,” Shawcross said.
Offensively, Miami’s best chances were in the first eight minutes. Lewis Morgan had a good shot, and set up one by Jay Chapman, but both were saved by Nashville keeper Joe Willis.
“Lewis was our most dangerous player,” Neville said. “He looked super fit in terms of his speed. His game is built on going box to box, making those long runs of 40-50 yards, and that’s what I saw (Sunday).”
The coach also praised 17-year-old Deerfield Beach native Edison Azcona, who was promoted from the academy and made his pro debut in the 67th minute. Club co-owner David Beckham, celebrating his birthday back in England, surely was delighted as he is bullish on developing young talent. Azcona plays for the Dominican Republic national team.
“It was a big day for the club, the ownership, the academy in terms of putting a homegrown player on the pitch,” Neville said. “David spoke about how important that is for Inter Miami, producing our own players. He’s an outstanding little player. He’s got real courage. To all those coaches that have played a part with his development -- Jason (Kreis), Darren (Powell) and Pato (Martin Paterson) -- a massive well done. We’re super proud.”
This story was originally published May 2, 2021 at 5:48 PM.