Inter Miami, winless in past eight MLS games, eager to beat Columbus at home Tuesday
Inter Miami remains in last place in the Eastern Conference standings, 10 points shy of the playoff line, and is eager to make up ground before Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets join the team later this month.
The 1-1 tie against Austin FC on Saturday was a step in the right direction, but Miami is winless in eight consecutive league games and extra hungry for a victory Tuesday at home against the Columbus Crew. It will be a tall task for a Miami team that has been in flux with a coaching change, a slew of major injuries and the absence of players on national team duty.
The Crew leads MLS with 40 goals, has won five of its past six games and is in fourth place in the East with a 10-6-4 record.
Miami’s back line will once again be missing starters DeAndre Yedlin and Kamal Miller, who are playing in the Gold Cup, Yedlin for the United States and Miller for Canada. Starting left back Franco Negri sustained a season-ending knee injury two weeks ago. Defenders Ian Fray and Noah Allen, who came up through Inter Miami’s youth academy, started against Austin.
“It is what it is, we cannot do anything about Miller and Yedlin,” said interim coach Javi Morales, who is leading the team until new coach Tata Martino gets his work visa. “Noah and Ian did well the last two games. Even though we conceded a few goals, they were not involved in any of those mistakes. I’m very happy with them and I hope they keep performing that way.”
Miami beat Columbus 2-1 on the road the last time they played on April 29, and forward Leo Campana scored both Miami goals. He has been coming off the bench in recent games, as Morales has chosen to go with Josef Martinez as the lone starting forward.
Asked if Campana’s goals against the Crew in their last meeting would factor into his lineup Tuesday, Morales said: “If you can guarantee he’s going to score two goals, I will put him in. But it doesn’t happen that way. You have to analyze game by game. I try to decide starting 11 based on performance, minutes and what they do during the week. This is a short break between games, but Leo is doing well in practice and he will have an opportunity.”
Morales said having just three days between games makes it difficult for a team that already has a depleted roster. But he remains optimistic.
“You’re going to say that maybe I’m crazy, but I started to see [a turnaround] against Philadelphia [a 4-1 loss two weeks ago],” Morales said. “The performance we did, even though we lost the game because of individual mistakes, collectively we dominated them, we created chances. Saturday we had a similar performance, but created more chances. The team is going forward step by step, and I hope Tuesday we can get the win.”
Midfielder Benja Cremaschi, the 18-year-old from Key Biscayne, had the assist on Martinez’s goal against Austin and had a perfect opportunity to score himself but his shot sailed over the crossbar. Miami took 18 shots against Austin, nine on frame, but converted just one.
“They’re a good team, keep possession of the ball, so we have to try to take the ball away from them and have possession ourselves and focus on defending,” Cremaschi said. “We have to believe as a team that the goals are coming. We had plenty of chances and didn’t put them away, but next time we have to believe we can score and get this one.”
Forward Robbie Robinson made his first start of the season against Austin after missing a full year due to leg injuries. He made an immediate impact, was dangerous going forward and had several scoring chances, though he could not find the back of the net. He played 75 minutes before coming off the field with an apparent leg injury.
“Robbie felt something in his hamstring, and he will probably have an MRI [Monday] to see what’s going on, but we plan to have him for the game Tuesday,” Morales said.
This story was originally published July 3, 2023 at 12:43 PM.