Inter Miami midfielder Rodolfo Pizarro joins Mexican national team for Costa Rica game
Rodolfo Pizarro, who missed the past two Inter Miami games with a hip flexor injury, is in Denver training with the Mexican national team for Thursday’s Nations League semifinal against Costa Rica.
Pizarro did not travel to Inter Miami’s 1-0 loss at Chicago on May 22, returned to training last week and was expected to play in the home game against D.C. United on Saturday, but was not on the game roster. The reason given was that Pizarro tweaked the injury in training on Friday. Miami lost 3-0 to D.C.
Coach Phil Neville told reporters on Thursday that he was looking for Pizarro to make an impact in Saturday’s game. “He’s a big player, a big part of this football club,” Neville said. “Now it’s about providing a platform for him to go out on Saturday against D.C. and give his absolute best, and actually start enjoying his football and playing with a little more freedom and be that level of player that we know he can be.”
Pizarro has one assist and no goals in six MLS games this season. He was dropped from the starting lineup for the game against FC Cincinnati, which Miami won 3-2. Federico Higuain started in his place and Pizarro came in as a late-game substitute.
Neville stressed that Pizarro’s work rate and attitude have been excellent, and that not starting him for one match did not mean he doesn’t expect him to be a key member of the team.
Inter Miami is 2-4-2 dropped to 11th place in the Eastern Conference with Saturday’s loss. The team is now off for the international break until June 19, when it heads to D.C. for a rematch against United.
In addition to Pizarro, Joevin Jones (Trinidad and Tobago) and Kelvin Leerdam (Suriname) are also with their national teams. Suriname has World Cup qualifying matches against Bermuda on June 4 and Canada on June 8. Trinidad and Tobago plays World Cup qualifiers against the Bahamas on June 5 and St. Kitts and Nevis on June 8.
“I want us to clear our minds, I want us to be fresh, I want the players going away to international duty to go away and have a different environment and come back determined to get three points against D.C. the next time we play them,” Neville said.