Injuries continue to pile up in scoreless draw
Inter Miami CF may have traveled to Nashville, Tenn., looking to leave with three points, but with the plethora of absences they faced, they gladly left with one.
With three new starters and two players making their season debuts due to having multiple attacking players not available for the match, Inter Miami (1-1-1, four points) played Nashville SC (0-0-3, three points) to a scoreless draw on Sunday at Nissan Stadium.
Jay Chapman, Ryan Shawcross and Victor Ulloa made their first starts for Inter Miami this season while Edison Azcona and Brek Shea made their first appearances of the year off the bench against Nashville SC.
Azcona’s appearance made him the first Inter Miami homegrown player and academy product to appear in an MLS game.
John McCarthy recorded Inter Miami’s first clean sheet of the season — and first in 11 matches dating back to their 1-0 victory over the Houston Dynamo on Oct. 10, 2020 — with the help of stout defensive play.
Inter Miami’s starting center back duo of Shawcross and Leandro Gonzalez Pirez were especially disruptive, winning a combined seven balls in the air and consistently providing strong clearances to ensure McCarthy wasn’t overly tested in goal for most of the game.
McCarthy didn’t have to make a save until the 36th minute. Nashville SC finished with only three shots on goal.
“In a strange way, it was probably the performance I enjoyed the most out of the three we had so far,” Inter Miami coach Phil Neville said, “because we had to show qualities maybe people outside the club didn’t think this team had in terms of togetherness, spirit and having to dig deep.
“I’m really pleased with the clean sheet. I’m pleased with the intent we had to try to cause problems for Nashville.”
Federico and Gonzalo Higuaín weren’t available on Inter Miami’s gameday roster against Nashville SC after leaving South Florida to be with their family after their mother’s death earlier in the week. The Higuaín brothers both scored in Inter Miami’s first win of the season against the Philadelphia Union at Subaru Park last weekend.
Inter Miami dedicated Sunday’s match to the Higuaín family, unveiling a banner that said, “Fuerza Familia Higuaín.”
Julian Carranza (non-COVID-19 illness) also wasn’t available for Sunday’s match.
Nico Figal was announced as Inter Miami’s starting right back ahead of the match, but was pulled from the lineup less than five minutes before kickoff due to sustaining a hamstring injury during warmups. Kelvin Leerdam started at right back in place of Figal.
Leerdam had a strong defensive performance, recording six clearances, which was second on the team.
“He just it felt [tighten] and I’m not prepared to take a risk,” Neville said of Figal’s injury. “We have Kelvin who came in and had his best game for us. Nico should be OK in a couple of days.”
Robbie Robinson, who’s been Inter Miami’s starting left winger this season, came off the bench as a substitute along with Azcona in the 67th minute for Jay Chapman and Rodolfo Pizarro. Robinson was subbed out of the match 10 minutes later after aggravating the hamstring injury he sustained in last weekend’s game against the Philadelphia Union.
Josh Penn subbed in for Robinson at the 79th minute and finished the game.
“Robbie’s OK,” Neville said. “We’ve been nursing him through the week. We were never going to take a risk, but ultimately he’s still feeling a little bit of tightness. You saw the run he went through and the boy pulled him down — that’s the run of someone who’s obviously fully fit.
“The plan before the game was not to have him anywhere near the subs bench. We warmed him up and he ticked every box, so it’s just one of those things we’re going to have to nurse him through his period. He’s a young boy. He’s still educating himself in terms of what’s pain and tightness. He’ll be fine.”