Leonard puts faith in NBA ‘bubble’
Inter Miami CF’s Robbie Robinson has left Major League Soccer’s “bubble” near Orlando and will not play in the MLS is Back Tournament.
Robinson, the No. 1 pick in the 2020 MLS SuperDraft, did not test positive for COVID-19 and left Lake Buena Vista over the weekend for personal reasons. As a result, he won’t be allowed to return to the league’s “bubble” or play in any of Inter Miami’s tournament games. He’s expected to rejoin the team after the tournament.
“Without a doubt, this is going to be an important loss for us,” Inter Miami coach Diego Alonso said. “Robbie is a player
Inter Miami CF’s Robbie Robinson was the team’s starting forward for the first two games of the season.
who competed in the first two matches. We understand his reasons and we need to be able to function without him. We have other players who can also fill that role and we’re going to support them to do so.”
Robinson, who started at forward in Inter Miami’s first two games, was expected to play significant minutes after recovering from a knee injury he suffered against DC United on March 7 before the league suspended the season March 12. His absence means Juan Agudelo or Julian Carranza mostly likely will step into Robinson’s spot in the starting lineup.
Carranza, 20, is waiting to make his MLS debut after recovering from a left-foot injury in late January that forced him to miss Inter Miami’s first two games.
He started to take part in the team’s voluntary individual training sessions in early May and has been a part of the team’s small-group and full-team practices. Carranza scored 10 goals in 46 senior team appearances for Club Atlético Banfield in Argentina.
Agudelo, 27, is an MLS veteran who has spent six seasons with the New England Revolution, three with the New York Red Bulls and two with Chivas USA.
Agudelo has scored 46 goals in 217 appearances since 2010. Agudelo started a preseason game for Inter Miami and played in the team’s first two games of the regular season. Jerome Kiesewetter is another option for Inter Miami at the forward position.
Inter Miami will kick off the tournament against Orlando City SC on Wednesday at 8 p.m. at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.