DP Pizarro could miss several games due to Mexico call-up
Inter Miami CF could be without one of their best players during their push for a spot in the MLS Cup playoffs.
Rodolfo Pizarro, one of Inter Miami’s designated players, is facing a predicament after being called up to play for Mexico’s national team in its friendlies against the Netherlands on Oct. 7 and Algeria on Oct. 13 in the Netherlands during FIFA’s upcoming international window.
The call-up for Pizarro— who has been Inter Miami’s most prolific attacking player with team-highs of three goals and four assists through 14 games — could force him to miss more than half of Inter Miami’s final nine games due to travel and a mandatory 10-day quarantine period once he returns to the U.S., per Major League Soccer’s COVID-19 protocol.
The Inter Miami games Pizarro could miss are:
■ New York Red Bulls, Wednesday at Red Bull Arena
■ Houston Dynamo, Oct. 10 at Inter Miami CF Stadium
■ Atlanta United FC, Oct. 14 at Inter Miami CF Stadium
■ Montreal Impact, Oct. 17 at Red Bull Arena
■ Orlando City SC, Oct. 24 at Inter Miami CF Stadium
Pizarro is one of three players in MLS who are being called up to Mexico’ s national team for the friendlies, along with Sporting Kansas City’s Alan Pulido and Los Angeles Galaxy’s Jonathan dos Santos.
He’s expected to play in Saturday’s match versus New York City FC at Inter Miami CF Stadium even if he does leave to play for Mexico. The Athletic reported on Wednesday that players who are released for national team duty would leave after MLS’s slate of games thisweekend.
So, Pizarro could leave for the Netherlands on Sunday, travel back to the U.S. on Oct. 14 after the friendlies and then quarantine until at least Oct. 24.
Inter Miami (3-9-2, 11 points) have three games left in the regular season after Oct. 24: against Dallas FC on Oct. 28; against Toronto FC Nov 1; versus FC Cincinnati on Nov. 8, their final regular-season game of the year at Inter Miami CF Stadium.
They’re 13th in the 14-team Eastern Conference standings and four points outside of a playoff slot, with the Chicago Fire (4-7-3, 15 points) currently in 10th place (the last playoff position in the conference).
Inter Miami coach Diego Alonso said he hopes Pizarro is able to stay with the club, and that MLS is having conversations with FIFA, the highest governing body of soccer in the world, to find a resolution.
He added that he has a “great relationship” with Mexico’s national team manager Gerardo “Tata” Martino — who coached at Atlanta United from 2016-18 — and that the two have spoken with each other about the situation “as gentlemen.”
“For both ends, we need to try to defend our cases and play our cards right with transparency,” Alonso said. “At the end of the day, it’s going to depend on what the rules end up being in this situation. It’s understandable both sides want the players and are fighting to have the player participate for their ends.”
FIFA’s rules normally demand that clubs around the world, including the ones in MLS, make their players available for national teams during the international windows. The organization has the power to suspend players from playing with their clubs for five days after the end of an international window if a call-up is declined.
But after a period of uncertainty, FIFA announced Thursday evening — after reporters spoke with Alonso — that it has amended its release of players rules.
Per the amendment, “the rules relating to release of players to association teams, apply as normal except where there is a mandatory period of quarantine or self-isolation of at least five days upon arrival in: the location of the club which has an obligation to release the player to an association team; or the location where a representative team match is scheduled to take place.”
It wasn’t clear as of Thursday evening if the amendment applied to both league-sanctioned quarantine periods or only government-sanctioned ones.
The New York Times reported Tuesday that FIFA plans to allow clubs to decline call-ups for friendly matches— which Mexico is playing — without penalties, whichwould give Inter Miami the option to keep Pizarro with the club without him having to serve a suspension.
“Rodolfo’s in a very difficult situation because he wants to do both,” Alonso said. “He wants to play for his national team but also wants to help his club in these upcoming games. He’s taken the decision of following what ends up being the resolution and what’s legal. If he can stay with us, he’ll follow that. If he needs to go with the national team, he’ll respect that.
“We believe there are reasons for Rodolfo to stay with us, so we’ll continue working for him to stay with the team and helping the team.”
Pizarro told reporters last week he’d defer to the club to make the decision for him.
“I’m aware of the situation,” Pizarro said lastweek. “I’ll leave it up to the club who has the final say. They’ll decide what’s best for me and for the team.”