Source: All NFL plans are ‘up in the air’
The Miami Dolphins practice and play in the nation’s hottest coronavirus hotspot. They are set to begin training camp at Nova Southeastern in two weeks. But some NFL sources believe that plan could still change.
After more than five months away, a return to football is imminent. Probably.
Next week, nearly twodozen Miami Dolphins rookies are set to report to team headquarters for the start of their NFL careers.
They will move into the team hotel, start attending meetings and resume conditioning work. And they’ll theoretically do all that in the global epicenter of the raging COVID-19 pandemic.
But that plan should be written in pencil, not ink, according to conversations with four informed league sources.
The Dolphins have communicated with their players that “everything is up in the air,” according to a source familiar with the situation, and that the team “could see things getting pushed back.”
Another plugged-in source told the Miami Herald the full start of camp is still on for July 28, but “that could literally pivot on a dime. I think we get a hard answer this week.”
Officially, the NFL still plans to begin its regular season Sept. 10, with the Dolphins scheduled to visit the New England Patriots three days later.
And NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told the Herald Monday that “there’s no change to our approach” to training camp.
“As we have stated since the pandemic began, our primary focus is on the
ended in heartbreaking losses, each by a single goal. Players hope to break the streak against the Philadelphia Union at 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday in their second game of the MLS is Back Tournament. The match will be shown on Univision sports channel, TUDN.
Miami’s frustration was evident after the 2-1 loss to Orlando City in Wednesday’s tournament opener at the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex on the outskirts of Orlando.
Captain and goalkeeper Luis Robles said players were “absolutely gutted.”
Midfielder Lewis Morgan called it “a difficult pill to swallow” and said he and his teammates “were hurting.”
And coach Diego Alonso, typically upbeat and analytical after matches, was in no mood to talk during his postgame news conference. His answers were brief.
Next up is Philadelphia, which beat Miami 2-1 in the preseason, won its opener over New York FC, and is considered one of the favorites to win the tournament. Though it will be a tough game, there is reason for Inter Miami fans to be optimistic.
Playmaker Rodolfo Pizarro is expected back in the starting lineup after missing the first half of the Orlando game with a slight injury. Veteran defender Roman Torres returns after serving a red card suspension. And defender Andres Reyes, who left the field strapped to a stretcher after taking an arm to the throat in the opener, returned to practice Saturday and is cleared to play Tuesday.
Pizarro, who scored in the game against D.C. United on March 7, injected the Miami offense with energy and creativity upon entering in the second half last Wednesday.
“Rodolfo’s quality is there for all to see,” Morgan said. “He operates very well in tight spaces and helps to open the lanes in the attack. Having someone like that playing alongside you as a winger encourages you to make runs that maybe he can see, he can find the path. We’ve got other guys on the team capable of doing that, but everyone knows Rodolfo’s quality and he helps the team massively when he’s starting. It’s great to have him back.”
PHILADELPHIA JERSEYS HONOR BLACK VICTIMS
Philadelphia is a veteran team, led by captain Alejandro
Bedoya, a Weston native and graduate of St. Thomas Aquinas High. Bedoya scored the lone goal in the win over NYCFC in their MLS is Back Tournament opening match.
The Union got a lot of attention for its jerseys, which replaced player names with the names of Black victims who have lost their lives due to police brutality. Jamaican goalkeeper Andre Blake, who made several big saves, wore the last name of George Floyd, whose death sparked protests all over the country.
Miami will have its hands full with Philadelphia.
“Philadelphia has a welloiled system,” Alonso said. “They’ve been with the same coach for a while. They repeat patterns of play that they execute really well. We have to play a very good game to be capable of competing and winning. It’s going to be a game down to the wire and very difficult.”
Philadelphia coach Jim Curtin has been impressed with what he has seen of Miami.
“Miami is a club that has played some very good soccer,” Curtin said. “Even before the break, they played a very difficult opponent in LAFC, in their building, almost an even game against probably the best team in our league in a very tough place to play. They had a game against D.C. United in D.C’s home opener where they controlled things until they had a red card.
“They’re very well coached, very organized, play with a lot of energy and passion. They played really good soccer against Orlando, too.
“They’re unlucky and a lot of things have gone against them. We’ll have to be on our A game to get a result.”
REYES INJURY IMPACTED GAME
Curtin said Reyes’ scary injury was a turning point in Miami’s first tournament game.
“You can almost pinpoint, when Reyes went out with the injury, the one thing people don’t recognize is when you see one of your teammates carried off on a stretcher, that has a big effect on the team, and the game certainly changed after that. Fortunately, he’s healthy. Roman Torres will be back and Pizarro has the quality to change the game. They have a very strong roster and I think they’ll do well in this league.”
The atmosphere at the games is unusual, as there are no spectators watching in person. The tournament is being played under a cloud of uncertainty as two teams were sent home with COVID-19 outbreaks, and a few other positive tests have led to schedule changes.
But players and coaches say they are delighted to be back in action after a fourmonth hiatus.
“The whole thing about the game was a little bit bizarre, but most of our guys were just so happy to be back playing that we would have played anywhere,” said Morgan. “Obviously, having no fans there was a little bit different experience for everyone, but at the moment that’s what football and soccer is looking like and we were just happy to be out there and playing.”