Kieran Gibbs, Nick Marsman expected to make Inter Miami debuts Saturday vs. Red Bulls
Help for struggling Inter Miami arrived from Europe just in time, as the team heads into a brutal six-game stretch that includes games against the top-five teams in the Eastern Conference.
Dutch goalkeeper Nick Marsman, English defender Kieran Gibbs, and U.S. youth national forward/winger Indiana “Indy” Vassilev, who was playing in England, are in camp and all are eligible to make their MLS debuts this weekend.
Inter Miami is coming off a two-week break and faces the New York Red Bulls on the road Saturday night (7 p.m., My33). The team is desperate for a win after a five-game losing skid during which it scored just one goal. Miami has scored a league-low nine goals through 11 games.
Coach Phil Neville said Thursday that his team has “run out of excuses” and is ready to get in the win column. He added that the new players have refueled the team with a competitive spark.
Also, Gonzalo Higuain, Rodolfo Pizarro, and Robbie Robinson are fully fit and expected to make a big impact on the team’s anemic offense.
“We have three new signings, two of our DPs [Designated Players] are back at 100 percent fitness ready to play, fight for the team and commit and make an impact, and what that has provided over the last 10 days is fierce competition,” Neville said. “It’s kept everyone on their toes.
“We’re at a point of no excuses. We need to win, climb the table and start impacting the league.”
Gibbs, who played 10 years with Arsenal and the past four with West Brom, said the South Florida weather has been “a bit of a shock to the system,” but he is getting acclimated and excited about his first job outside of England.
“My first impressions are very good,” Gibbs said. “The standard is high. It’s physical. A lot of boys have been telling me how physical the league is, so I have to make sure I’m ready for that. I have to earn my place on the team. Just because I came from the UK doesn’t mean people should think I should come here and play straight away. You have to work hard first and show the manager you deserve to play.”
Neville said Gibbs, who has not played a game since late January, is not fully match ready, but he will consider playing him on Saturday.
“Every day he’s looked fitter, and his experience and quality tell me he’ll be able to handle playing against New York Red Bulls,” Neville said. “He was an England senior national. He has great experience about how to behave as an elite athlete. In any team or office, you need great leaders. We haven’t got that many leaders in our team with the experience of Kieran Gibbs, who has played in Champions League, with the best players in the world, who knows what it takes.”
Marsman’s experience has also shown in his first week of training.
“He has to be vocal and communicate, and he’s come out of his shell very quickly,” Neville said.
Like Gibbs, Marsman is getting used to the climate.
“They told me it’s only sunny here,” he joked.
After watching Inter Miami games and training with the team for a week, Marsman feels the main thing missing is confidence.
“We need to get rid of the doubt,” he said. “At the moment, there is some doubt.”
Asked what he hopes to bring the team, he said: “Clean sheets, a bit of experience, some stability in the back. I like to talk a lot from the back to my defenders, midfielders to get them comfortable and help them in situations, and I’m there to catch the ball. I’m ready to go.”
Neville said young Americans Vassilev and Robinson, coming off a hamstring injury, have looked good in practice.
“Indiana’s going to surprise a few people in terms of his speed, and Robbie feels like a new signing being back after being out eight weeks,” he said. “We took extra precaution with him, built him up and I feel we’ll get a better and stronger Robbie Robinson than before.”
Although the road ahead looks tough, Neville is optimistic.
“Three points is going to be the magical solution,” he said. “And then three points again. This is the marathon part of the season where trophies are won and lost. We’ve got a lot of ground to make up. But I feel the curve is going up.”
Jones injury update
Joevin Jones is expected to be out for at least a few months with an unspecified knee injury. He did not have surgery, Neville said, but he is in a brace and visiting family in Trinidad and Tobago this week. Neville hopes he can return to action late in the season.