Energy dip costly in 2nd half of opening loss
Inter Miami CF kicked off their second season with a home opener against the LA Galaxy on Sunday at DRV PNK Stadium in front of 7,939 spectators.
Despite getting a jolt of energy in front of their largest home crowd since opening the stadium last year, Inter Miami dropped their first game of the 2021 season, 3-2, after allowing LA Galaxy midfielder Sacha Kljestan to score the game-deciding goal in the 81st minute to spoil Inter Miami’s first game under new coach Phil Neville.
Here are three takeaways from the match:
Tired legs
Leading into Sunday, Neville stressed the importance of substitutions, and how Sunday’s game played out showed why.
Multiple Inter Miami players started to appear fatigued 15-20 minutes into the second half, with each of the Galaxy’s goals coming after the 60th minute.
All five of the Galaxy’s shots on target came in the second half.
Neville mentioned before Sunday that he may use substitutes at the half, but Inter Miami didn’t make their first change until the 72nd minute. Galaxy coach Greg Vanney used his first two substitutions in the 58th minute, again making changes in the 70th and 77th minutes, while Inter Miami didn’t use their next substitutions until the 82nd, 83rd and 92nd minutes (stoppage time).
“There was a 10-minute period in the second half where we dipped in terms of our energy,” Neville said. “We probably planned and expected that from our lack of game time that we had [in the preseason]. In those moments what we said to them is keep possession of the ball, just play 1-2 touch, maybe string 10, 15, 20 passes together until you get that little bit of energy back into your legs and into your body.
“We ended up playing long, hopeless balls or aimless balls upfield, which meant that we gave possession away. That was probably the disappointment in two of the goals, especially.”
Neville admitted the team wasn’t “100 percent match-fit” due to a lack of preseason friendlies (two) before Sunday, making his decision to hold off on the substitutions more puzzling.
“We got to that point when we just got [Gonzalo Higuaín’s penalty kick in the 68th minute] where we were going to make two or three substitutions,” Neville said. “Robbie [Robinson] was still causing problems. [Rodolfo] Pizarro was still causing problems. Gonzalo was looking like he was going to score goals. We had a good foundation in midfield, so it was very difficult to change anyone at that moment in time because we were still looking like the team on the counterattack and we had a little bit more in the tank.”
Defensive breakdowns
Inter Miami’s fatigue, along with a Galaxy formation switch from a 4-2-3-1 to a 4-4-2, led to LA becoming a more dangerous team on the attack in the second half and Inter Miami’s defense breaking down.
Being physically fatigued can lead to mental lapses, and that appeared to be the case for Inter Miami with three goals they conceded in the second half.
“It’s a great learning curve for us that if you just switch off for a minute and you just lack that little bit of concentration you get punished in this league,” Neville said. “It’s an unforgiving league where we will get punished because we’re playing against some of the best players.”
LA scored its first goal and tied the match, 1-1, in the 62nd minute when forward Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez attacked the space in between left back Joevin Jones and center back Leandro Gonzalez Pirez in Inter Miami’s box. Chicharito ran underneath Jones and then shifted into space right in front of Gonzalez Pirez before receiving a cross from Ethan Zubak and knocking the ball into Inter Miami’s goal. Both Jones and Gonzalez Pirez knew where Chicharito was, but a breakdown in communication and Chicharito making the run while Gonzalez Pirez had his head momentarily turned gave him enough of an opportunity to capitalize off of.
The Galaxy’s second and third goals showed both the benefits of LA putting two forwards at the top of its formation and an Inter Miami team that had a difficult time keeping track of multiple runners in the box.
Chicharito recorded his second goal in the 73rd minute on a broken-up cross after Inter Miami lost track of him on the back post, with the 32-year-old forward running in front of Jones and behind Gonzalez Pirez with two other Galaxy players also inside the box before scoring for the second time. Inter Miami offered little resistance on Kljestan’s game-winner from the top of the box after a broken-up cross.
“It’s the little things,” Robinson said. “Staying with your man. Being able to block that cross before it’s even able to get in the box.”
Multiple standouts
Even in defeat, multiple Inter Miami players stood out in positive ways.
Nico Figal was disruptive throughout the game, recording a team-high six tackles and winning 90 percent of his 11 duels.
Blaise Matuidi consistently helped Inter Miami regain possession in their attacking half and was accurate with his passing (16 passes with a 93.8 percent passing accuracy). Gregore’s defensive presence behind Matuidi allowed the 33-year-old French midfielder to feel more comfortable.
Pizarro shaped the match in his image early on by linking up with multiple teammates during the run of play and was responsible for both of the team’s scoring opportunities with the through ball to Higuaín, who assisted Robinson for his score in the first half and by drawing a foul in the box that led to Higuaín scoring a goal on a penalty kick.
Robinson showed courage in taking defenders one-on-one, although he could’ve been more decisive with his touches at times.