South Florida Sun-Sentinel Palm Beach (Sunday)
Will the designated players come through? Which newcomers will break out as stars? We ask five burning questions about this season.
After an underwhelming inaugural season, Inter Miami will need to find answers in order to contend this season
From pandemic to performance, Inter Miami CF’s inaugural year didn’t go as the team had hoped, leading to significant changes throughout the club heading into their second season in Major League Soccer.
Gone are Diego Alonso and Paul McDonough as the team’s coach and sporting director, respectively, after Inter Miami ended their first season with a 7-13-3 regular-season record and fell to Nashville SC in the MLS Cup playoffs play-in round.
Enter Chris Henderson (chief soccer officer and sporting director), Phil Neville (coach) and nearly a dozen new players, who the club is hoping can get Inter Miami on track to where they want to be.
“These moves were precipitated by the fact that we as owners won’t settle for mediocrity,” Inter Miami managing owner Jorge Mas said, “and we think bringing in new leadership can help us excel in all of the areas that’ll make us a better club, a better team and establish a DNA and culture that’s a reflection of ownership’s aspirations.”
Here are some questions for Inter Miami ahead of the start of their second season:
1. Will the designated players perform better in 2021?
For Inter Miami to have a more successful second season than first, they’ll need their designated players to step up and produce on the field in ways they didn’t in 2020.
Gonzalo Higuaín, a world-renowned Argentine forward who’s netted more than 300 combined goals at the club level with teams such as Real Madrid, Napoli and Juventus, only scored one goal in 801 minutes across nine matches with Inter Miami last year.
Rodolfo Pizarro started last season strong, recording three goals and an assist in Inter Miami’s first six games, but he didn’t consistently produce as the season progressed.
Blaise Matuidi, who’ll be a designated player in 2021 after being a targeted-allocation-money player last season, appeared to get more comfortable as 2020 went along, after joining Inter Miami at midseason. However, he didn’t have the impact expected from a player of his pedigree.
Inter Miami will need Higuaín to approach — and maybe even surpass — the 20-goal plateau across a 34-game season to help fix their scoring issues from last year.
Pizarro playing with the ball at his feet more often, which Neville said will be an emphasis for the 27-year-old midfielder, should help him become more comfortable this season.
Matuidi bringing more to the squad defensively in 2021 than he did in 2020 would be a major boost for the midfield.
“For us to be successful this year,” Neville said, “you need your big players to do well.”
2. Will Lewis Morgan take another step forward?
Lewis Morgan’s signing with Inter Miami didn’t receive incredible fanfare, but his clubawarded MVP honors for last season speaks to the kind of year he had.
Morgan led the team in goals (five) and assists (eight) and played in every game in 2020.
Inter Miami’s brass were so impressed with Morgan, they signed the 24-year-old Scottish winger to a more lucrative contract at the beginning of preseason training camp.
Morgan’s building off last season and taking another step forward in his development will be imperative to open up scoring opportunities for players such as Higuaín and Pizarro.
“As a forward-thinker player, it’s that end product that everyone goes all about,” Morgan said. “Each season I set a high standard. I always set goals — I want to get double-figure goals and assists. This season’s no different.”
3. Which newcomers/ young players will impress?
While they retained most of their core, Inter Miami also underwent a roster overhaul during the offseason.
Gregore, the 27-year-old Brazilian central midfielder the club signed in February, is expected to be one of the team’s most important additions by giving Inter Miami the aggressive, ball-winning player they lacked in the midfield last year.
Joevin Jones and Kelvin Leerdam should make an immediate impact as the team’s starting fullbacks to begin the season after signing with the club in free agency. If he can stay healthy, Ryan Shawcross should provide the team with depth at center back and possibly be a starter at some point in the season.
The summer additions of Kieran Gibbs and Nick Marsman will only make the team more formidable.
Edison Azcona, the 17-year-old winger who signed with the team as a homegrown player in January, figures to be the most likely of the new younger players Inter Miami added who’ll receive significant playing time this season.
“If he keeps working hard, keeps his determination and developing, he hopefully has a big future at his football club,” Neville said of Azcona. “He’s got something a little bit special. He’s tough, strong, aggressive and never gives up. The kid has got a real chance.”
4. How will Robbie Robinson adjust to being a winger?
Speaking of wingers, it appears that Robbie Robinson will be lining up in the left flank this season after mostly playing striker last year.
Robinson’s ability to become comfortable as a left winger and be an attacking threat from out wide will be crucial for an Inter Miami team that was less threatening from the left flank than it was on the right.
The team has multiple left-wing options — Jones, Brek Shea — it can use if Robinson struggles with the adjustment. How the No. 1 pick in the 2020 MLS SuperDraft fares in his new position may affect how Inter Miami approach the secondary transfer window over the summer and if they look for another winger.
5. Will Henderson and Neville bring an identity to Inter Miami?
Inter Miami didn’t simply hire Henderson and Neville to win more games: they’re looking for them to help create an identity that they lacked for much of their expansion season.
How Henderson and Neville help cultivate a long-lasting identity for Inter Miami, while also being one of the most competitive teams in the league, will be the basis of whether this season will be viewed as successful.
“We want to compete for championships every year,” Henderson said. “As a global club that can compete with the elite in this league, when you build that competition and have a clear identity of how you want to play, you can get to that position where you’re competing every week.”