Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Intrasquad scrimmage wraps up preseason
For Inter Miami CF, Sunday’s scrimmage was less about the result — or even on-field tactics — and more about making sure players were physically ready for the start of the regular season despite the interruptions they’ve faced during the preseason.
Inter Miami opted to conclude their preseason preparations with an intrasquad scrimmage at DRV PNK Stadium one week ahead of their home opener versus LA Galaxy on April 18 with their original plans to play friendlies versus Miami FC and Toronto FC on Sunday scrapped on Friday due to scheduling conflicts.
The cancellation of Sunday’s games means Inter Miami will enter their matchup versus the Galaxy having played only two friendlies against other squads — USL Championship teams the Tampa Bay Rowdies (March 27) and Miami FC (April 7) — during the preseason.
Inter Miami split up into two squad for the scrimmage — Team White led by head coach Phil Neville and Team Black led by assistant coach Jason Kreis.
White, which was made up of who’ll presumably be the starting 11 versus the LA Galaxy, won the scrimmage 3-1 in what was the public’s first opportunity to watch Inter Miami under Neville since he was hired in January.
“[Sunday], for me, was more about the physical side rather than what I saw from a technical point of view,” Neville said. “It’s no secret that we’ve had pretty bad luck with games being canceled, so I wanted to get 90 minutes in their legs. That was the main focus from [Sunday] because I don’t want us to get into the game next week and be short physically knowing full well it is the start of the season.”
John McCarthy started in goal for White. Joevin Jones lined up at left back while Kelvin Leerdam started at right back. Leandro
Gonzalez Pirez and Nico Figal were the starting center backs while Gregore and Blaise Matuidi were the starting central midfielders.
Robbie Robinson started as the left winger after mostly playing center forward last season, Rodolfo Pizarro was the starting central attacking midfielder for team white and Lewis Morgan played as the right winger, with Gonzalo Higuaín starting at forward.
Robinson opened the scoring for Sunday’s scrimmage by heading the ball into the net, with an assist from Morgan, past team black starting goalkeeper Dylan Castanheira, giving team white an early 1-0 lead.
“Robbie’s had a fantastic preseason,” Neville said of the 22-year-old Robinson, who was the No. 1 pick in the 2020 MLS SuperDraft. “He came back into market really early. One of the things I identified really early is that we need more goals on the team. What Robbie Robinson provides us is a real attacking threat down that lefthand side.
“Robbie’s predominantly a center forward, but what we see in football in this moment in time is a lot of center forward that gravitates towards the side of the pitch. I think at this moment in time for Robbie’s development, that gives him a little bit more freedom and time on the ball. It allows him to play a little bit more freely.”
Black’s starting 11: Castanheira; Brian Rosales, Ryan Shawcross, Christian Makoun, Sami Guediri; Harvey Neville (Phil Neville’s son), Victor Ulloa; Josh Penn, Federico Higuaín, Edison Azcona; Matías Pellegrini.
Pizarro scored White’s second goal by evading Makoun and slotting a shot past Castanheira to give his squad a 2-0 lead.
The 27-year-old Mexican midfielder was active and seeking out opportunities to combine with his teammates with passes throughout the match, which is something Neville said from the start of preseason that he wanted to see from Pizarro.
“Finding our quality players on the ball and letting them work their magic is something I want to give them the platform to do that,” Neville said. “You saw today, Rodolfo was around everything. You think about those three in midfield — Gregore, Blaise and Rodolfo — a lot came through Rodolfo. We’ve been working really hard on that combination, so I’m really pleased. He’s come back from international duty and he’s really put his foot down in terms of intensity.”
Azcona, the 17-year-old winger who signed with Inter Miami as a homegrown player in January, scored team Black’s lone goal after stealing the ball from Figal in White’s penalty box and pushing it past McCarthy.
Leerdam scored the scrimmage’s final goal with an assist from Gonzalo Higuaín.
Azcona played half of Sunday’s scrimmage after playing in the first half of Fort Lauderdale CF’s — Inter Miami’s League One team — loss to the New England Revolution II on Saturday. Azcona impressed on the left wing during the scrimmage with his dribbling and pace.
“What I wanted was to make sure he knew how much I believed in him,” Neville said. “That he knows by playing today for 45 minutes was a part of the plan. If he keeps working hard, keeps his determination and developing, he hopefully has a big future at his football club. He’s got something a little bit special. You saw him in the lineup in the tunnel and you think ‘he’s just small’, but you know what? He’s tough, strong, aggressive and never gives up. The kid has got a real chance.”
Gregore, the 27-year-old Brazilian central midfielder Inter Miami signed in February, was a new player who impressed by anchoring Inter Miami’s midfield.
“I knew his ability, but his character surprised me a lot in terms of his willingness to learn every single day,” Neville said. “Sometimes he’ll come to my office and we’ll talk through how we want the team to play and how he’s going to connect with everybody on the team. From a young player’s point of view, that’s quite impressive. He wants to learn so fast. He’s come in to win. He’s a little bit behind everybody else in terms of the preparation physically, so he’s playing a little bit of a catch-up, but he’s been really impressive so far.”
As for if Inter Miami are physically ready for next week’s opener, Neville is confident they are.
“Ultimately, we’ll find out next Sunday how ready physically we are, how much we can sustain we want to play for 90 minutes,” he added. “Physically on the training ground, there’s only so much you can do. Match sharpness, match fitness, the tempo of the match is totally different. We’ve tried to replicate that as much as we can.
“The situation has been out of everyone’s hands. We’ve tried to be positive about it. It’s not an excuse. We’re physically fit enough to play LA Galaxy and now we just want to make sure the week goes smoothly in terms of making sure everybody stays healthy and fit.”