Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Winless Inter Miami hopes Pizarro can ignite the attack
Inter Miami CF remains in search of their first win after a trio of losses to open their inaugural Major League Soccer season.
After starting their season with consecutive one-goal losses on the road, Inter Miami opened the MLS is Back Tournament with a 2-1 loss to Orlando City SC last Wednesday after the Lions scored two goals in the final 25 minutes to claim the victory.
“The longer these things go on, maybe a little bit of pressure gets added — maybe not externally but internally within the group,” Inter Miami winger Lewis Morgan said. “It’s important that we’re demanding of ourselves and demand that we do put that pressure on. The moment is about putting up a complete 90 minutes together.”
Inter Miami will look to bounce back from their early-season losses at 10:30 p.m. Tuesday (TUDN/TSN) against the Philadelphia Union at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando. Rodolfo Pizarro, one of the club’s designated players, is expected to rejoin the team’s starting lineup after coming off the bench and playing 32 minutes against Orlando City due to suffering a minor injury during practice last week.
Andres Reyes will also be available after suffering a scary injury against Orlando City. Center back Roman Torres will be available versus Philadelphia after serving one-game red card suspension against the Lions, further fortifying Inter Miami’s backline.
Pizarro’s presence on the field should help the team establish its attack earlier on in the match after recording one shot on goal against the Lions.
“Having Rodolfo back will also be a big positive for that,” Morgan said. “When he came on, he looked sharp and it’s good to have him back and he’ll bring a lot to us.
“Rodolfo’s quality is there for all to see. He operates very well in tight spaces and helps to open the lanes in the attack. Having someone like that playing alongside you as a winger encourages you to make runs that maybe he can see, he can find the path.
We’ve got other guys on the team capable of doing that, but everyone knows Rodolfo’s quality and he helps the team massively when he’s starting. It’s great to have him back.”
Philadelphia, which was tied for the second-best odds to win the tournament according to Bovada as of Monday, defeated New York City FC, 1-0, in its first match of the tournament. The Union went 16-11-7 during the 2019 season, good for third in the Eastern Conference before falling to Atlanta United FC in the conference semifinals.
“They have been with their head coach a long time,” Inter Miami coach Diego Alonso said about Jim Curtin, who has been Philadelphia’s head coach since 2014. “They play with a clear pattern.”
Inter Miami have a familiarity with the way Philadelphia wants to play, as they lost to the Union, 2-1, in a February preseason game.
“They’re a good side, but it’s about us,” Morgan said. “It’s important that we’re looking at the strengths and weaknesses of the sides we play against, but within our group, we have enough talent and desire to win. If we can implement our game plan and take the game to other teams, we can be successful in that way.”