Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Robles: ‘We showed a lot of heart’
Goalie advises teammates not to get overconfident after loss
FORT LAUDERDALE — Inter Miami CF is in the middle of a balancing act when assessing their Major League Soccer debut — a 1-0 loss to Los Angeles FC on Sunday at Banc of California Stadium.
While not satisfied with returning to South Florida without a win, the team acknowledges the effort and fight it showed against the 2019 Supporter’s Shield winners and a team that’s expected to be one of the top MLS clubs in 2020.
“Overall for our first competitive performance, it was a good showing,” goalkeeper Luis Robles said. “We showed a lot of heart and a lot of fight. Even with the game in the balance at the very end, you saw that we had some opportunities and we almost made the point which I thought would’ve been deserving, but at least for our first showing it was a good display of the character in this group.”
In the same breath, Robles advised teammates not to become too satisfied with their first showing together, calling Sunday a “good foundation to build upon”, while acknowledging the ways that Inter Miami can improve.
“It is possible that we’d look at our first
result and think ‘OK, we just played against one of the best teams from last year, one of the best teams going into the season and we only lost 1-0’ and we think that we’re in a good place,” said Robles, who was named to the MLS Team of the Week as a substitute after his performance against LAFC.
Robles, Inter Miami’s captain, cautioned the team to not become too confident after keeping up with LAFC. He added that he’s looking for incremental improvements during practice this week as the team prepares for its match against D.C. United on Saturday at Audi Field.
“The fact of the matter is that we didn’t get any points,” Robles said. “It’s going to be about results. It isn’t about what we did last week, it’s about what we do this week. We need to build momentum because as you look to the next week, it’s our home opener and it’s against another difficult opponent. I’ve learned in this league that you can’t overlook anyone. None of these matchups are an easy three points.”
Robles said he wants to see Inter Miami be more “clinical in the final third” and limit opportunities in the back. He’s expecting to play a D.C. United with extra motivation after they lost their season-opener to the Colorado Rapids.
“This is the very beginning and we’re starting new,” Robles said. “It’s unrealistic to think we’re going to be perfect or compete right from the beginning. If we look at all phases of the game, we can improve. We have to be committed each and every day at training to making that improvement.”