Higuain out for Inter Miami game at New England, team hopes to win fifth game in a row
Inter Miami, fresh off a major victory at City Hall, will try to build off the positive energy of its stadium deal and extend its winning streak to five games with a road win at New England.
When these teams played three weeks ago, Inter Miami forward Leo Campana started in place of injured Gonzalo Higuain and scored all three goals in a 3-2 home win over the Revolution. Campana leads the team with five goals and an assist, plus a sixth goal in the U.S. Open Cup win over Miami FC.
Higuain will be missing again after suffering a thigh contusion in the final minute of last Sunday’s 2-1 home win over Atlanta. He had just entered the game in the 82nd minute after missing the previous three games with a knee injury. He did not travel with the team to Boston and his return date is unknown.
Otherwise, the Miami team is almost at full health, and the second division Inter Miami II team is playing Sunday in New England so both teams will have plenty of depth.
New England will be looking to avenge that loss and get back on track after a rocky start to the season.
The Revolution, which won the Supporters Shield last season for best record in the league, is 2-5-1 and in 13th place in the Eastern Conference heading into the weekend. Miami is 3-4-1 and in seventh place after winning three straight MLS games and four overall counting the U.S. Open Cup victory over Miami FC.
New England coach Bruce Arena said of Saturday’s matchup: “The last couple games we played against them, we had some good control of the game, played well for 25 minutes or so and we then made a few mistakes and it cost us dearly. We have to cut down on crucial errors.”
He said he has been impressed with Inter Miami’s defending, which has improved since the start of the season.
“They have a pretty good defensive posture, get out on the break, so we’ve got to do a better job breaking them down,” Arena said. “They’ve played well, give them a lot of credit. They will be really focused on defending well as a unit like they’ve done in games they won.”
Miami’s back line of DeAndre Yedlin, Aime Mabika, Damion Lowe and Christopher McVey has been solid in recent games, with 17-year-old Noah Allen coming off the bench at left back. Joevin Jones and Kieran Gibbs are healthy after missing games with injury and could factor in the plans.
Yedlin, the U.S. national team regular, has made a big difference at right back. He has blazing speed and races up the sideline in the attack. He had the cross to Campana in a goal against Atlanta and wore the captain’s armband in place of suspended Gregore.
“Bringing DeAndre in was like bringing in a DP (Designated Player),” said Miami coach Phil Neville. “He’s got that DP quality, played in the big leagues at the top level. He’s at a brilliant age. I gave him the captaincy because DeAndre is really the voice of the team in the huddles. He’s been outstanding, shown great experience.”
His speed and versatility have also been vital.
“It’s like he’s a right back and a winger, two players in one,” Neville said. “He can get up there as quick as anyone else in the league. He’s a tremendous outlet. When you look at our speed on right side, with (Ari) Lassiter and Yedlin, there’s no right sided team in the world that has that kind of speed. We can get out in transition really well.”