For Inter Miami players, finally “some light at the end of the tunnel.”
Sights of the ball hitting the back of the net. Players running around cones, curling shots around targets, passing to inanimate objects. Goalkeepers eyeing the ball as it smacks their gloves.
Inter Miami CF’s gradual return to normalcy continued Wednesday afternoon, as it powered on with its third week of individual voluntary workouts at the team’s Fort Lauderdale training facility. Players spoke with cautious optimism about a return to competition, matching the tenor around the league about plans to restart the season.
“We feel good so far, and it’s good to see some light at the end of the tunnel,” said midfielder Victor Ulloa. “Hopefully we can progress to playing with the ball and our teammates a little bit closer, but it’s good
Inter Miami CF player
Ulloa expressed optimism about returning to the field.
that we’re leaning toward that.”
A report from the Washington Post on May 11 floated a proposal from Major League Soccer to place all 26 teams in Orlando at the Disney Sports Complex to compete in a tournament, a proposal for which Florida Governor Ron Desantis expressed his approval. Still, much remains unclear about the specifics of a potential MLS return.
The league has postponed all games through June 8, and announced Tuesday it was cancelling its All-Star game. The Post reported that the league’s proposal pegs July 1 as a possible target date for the Orlando plan, though that remained “tentative.” Regardless, Inter Miami’s home opener — one it envisioned with thousands of fans — will continue to wait, perhaps quite awhile.
For Ulloa and his teammates, though, such quandaries remain outside his view. He’s simply happy to have a place to workout, to share a socially-distant conversation with a teammate, and finally feel some optimism.
“It feels great,” he said. “Happy to be back on the field finally after a very long time. It feels great just to step on the field and to see all the guys — and to get to see them from afar, but to talk to them a little bit here and there.”
However the league seeks to proceed, Ulloa says it’s integral to continue ramping up on the field. While the team was away from the facilities, assistant coach Mauricio Marchetti led workouts over Zoom, a method that helped bide time but was no replacement for on-field work.
While there are still several hurdles to clear before a return to play — including much-needed team-wide practices to build chemistry — Ulloa was happy to simply be back on the field.
“The Zoom workouts while we were away were great,” Ulloa said. “And the plans that Mauricio gave us were tough, but it’s different once you get on the field. The work that we’re putting in here is quality, and I feel like we’re in the right direction and hopeful that we can get back to playing soon.”