Inter Miami blames fatigue, mistakes as main reasons it let season-opener slip away
They had the home crowd. They led at halftime. And they dominated for 70 minutes.
But when Inter Miami coach Phil Neville and his players looked back on Sunday’s 3-2 season-opening loss to the Los Angeles Galaxy, they said two things stood out: late-game mistakes and fatigue. It is likely they were intertwined.
Inter Miami did not play a single preseason game against an MLS opponent because of COVID-related cancelations. Sunday was the first time they went 90 minutes against a league foe, and it was 90 degrees and humid. Training in the South Florida heat and playing a game are not the same.
“There was a 10-minute period in the second half where we dipped in terms of our energy,” Neville said. “We planned and expected that from our lack of [preseason] game time. 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 body’.”
But fatigue led to carelessness, and the Galaxy capitalized.
“We ended up playing long, hopeless balls or aimless balls up field, which meant we gave possession away,” Neville explained. “Mistakes cost you at this level. We got punished.”
Galaxy coach Greg Vanney made a tactical change in the second half, bringing on a second forward Ethan Zubak to help open up space for Chicharito. The strategy worked.
The Galaxy scored its first goal in the 62nd minute when Chicharito got between Inter Miami defenders Joevin Jones and Leandro Gonzalez Pirez in the penalty area and received a cross from Zubak.
Miami’s back line had to keep track of two forwards instead of one and suffered breakdowns that allowed Chicharito to tap in his second goal and Kljestan to score the gamewinner.
“I thought until the 70th minute we were the superior team, they didn’t create too many chances, their keeper made two or three big saves, they tied us on a good play,” said Inter Miami forward Gonzalo Higuain, who had a goal and an assist on Robbie Robinson’s first MLS goal. “With 17 to 20 minutes left, they scored two goals that could have been avoided.
“Considering we did not play preseason games and were superior to a team like L.A. Galaxy for 70 minutes, that is the positive. The negative is that they scored two goals that we could have avoided.”
Robinson agreed, saying the team let its guard down after Higuain’s penalty kick in the 68th minute put Miami ahead 2-1.
“We’ve really got to defend that goal for our life in the final minutes of games,” Robinson said. “That’s when the other team is attacking the most. It’s the little things. Staying with your man. Being able to block that cross before it’s even able to get in the box. We need to focus in on those.”
Neville said last week that substitutions would be critical to battle fatigue, but he held off until the 72nd minute, and then made three more in the 82nd, 83rd, and extra time.
“We got to that point when we just got the penalty [Higuain’s PK] where we were going to make two or three substitutions,” Neville explained. “Robbie was still causing problems. [Rodolfo] Pizarro was still causing problems. Gonzalo was looking like he was going to score goals, so it was very difficult to change anyone at that moment in time because we were still looking like the team on the counterattack to score goals and we had a little bit more in the tank.”
“We’re still playing catch-up in that respect. It’s not an excuse. It’s just a fact.” Miami’s next game is Saturday at the Philadelphia Union.
Michelle Kaufman: 305-376-3438, @kaufsports