Inter Miami thrown ‘curveball’ by playoff opponent NYCFC. Plus, latest injury update
Inter Miami sent out notices to its fans Wednesday night saying the club had been thrown “a curveball” by New York City FC, its first-round playoff opponent.
NYCFC’s regular home field, Yankee Stadium, is being used for baseball, so Monday night’s game was originally scheduled to be played at Red Bull Arena, in Harrison, New Jersey, home of NYCFC’s archrival, the New York Red Bulls.
The Yankee Stadium field (the baseball outfield) is the narrowest in the league, causing trouble for opponents, so moving to Red Bull Arena would have neutralized some of NYCFC’s home-field advantage. Miami lost 2-0 there in July and beat NCYFC 3-2 at home. Also, NYCFC has not fared well in New Jersey and has drawn smaller-than-usual crowds.
But after the New York Mets were eliminated from the MLB playoffs, NYCFC moved the game to Citi Field, where the familiarity of playing in a baseball stadium and an expected large home crowd will benefit New York. The announcement was made late Wednesday afternoon.
Miami coach Phil Neville expressed frustration earlier on Wednesday that the venue had not yet been decided, as Inter Miami has a traveling party of 55 to accommodate and there are tactical tweaks to make for a narrowed field.
“This is not a preseason scrimmage, this is a playoff game,” the coach said. “This is about organization. In four years’ time, we have got a World Cup coming to this great country, and I think things like this need to be looked at.
“The venue doesn’t bother us one bit even though I don’t think it is a great look for the league playing on a baseball venue. We’d play on the top of the Empire State Building for a playoff game, but it is just the logistics.”
No matter where they play, Neville and his players are delighted to be in the postseason, especially considering they were winless through the first five games of the season.
“As a player we just focused on what we have to do, it doesn’t matter where we play,” winger Ariel Lassiter said. “We have to go up there and get the job done to get to the next round. We know we can’t be complacent.”
As a winger, Lassiter runs along the flanks, so playing on a narrower field requires adjustments.
“The dynamics are completely different; I have to look for different spaces,” he said. “We’re not going to be able to use all the wide spaces, but we have to use as much of the pitch as we can. Some players have to come in short, others long. Different tactics. But I feel with the quality players we have we can get the result we want.”
Pozuelo, Campana update
Alejandro Pozuelo (groin) is expected to return to the starting lineup on Monday. Leo Campana (hamstring) is still a bit behind Pozuelo and is doubtful for the game.
“They’ll only play if they’re 100 percent fit,” Neville said. “We’ve got enough players on the squad that are in good form. Both players have a lot of boxes to tick this week.”
Higuain, Callender honored
Gonzalo Higuain is one of three finalists for MLS Comeback Player of the Year, and Drake Callender is a finalist for Goalkeeper of the Year.
Higuain, who is retiring after the season, scored two goals in the first 18 games, and was benched, but he had a resurgence in midseason and scored 14 goals over the last 16 games. He led MLS in goals per 90 minutes with .823.
Callender, 25, replaced injured Nick Marsman in the starting lineup in early summer and kept the job. He recorded a clean sheet against eventual Eastern Conference leaders Philadelphia Union and one of his saves made ESPN “SportsCenter.” In the final stretch of the season he had late-game match-winning saves against Columbus Crew and D.C. United, followed by a clean sheet against Toronto FC.
This story was originally published October 13, 2022 at 5:26 PM.