These are the games Inter Miami had in mind. This project has always been about taking on a team like CF Monterrey with a CCC semifinal berth on the line and holding their own. It’s about winning trophies, plural, of all varieties.
There’s a problem, though. Right now they don’t look like the Final Boss. The Herons have two wins, two losses and a draw over their last five games in all competitions. They keep taking on injuries to key players. And their underlying numbers suggest they’ve been a below-average MLS side through seven games.
In particular, they’ve looked porous at times defensively. It’s only getting worse as injuries pile up and they’re forced to tinker with ideas like “Sergio Busquets, MLS center back.” Starting center back Nicolás Freire is questionable due to injury. Fellow starter Sergii Kryvtsov is out due to injury. And, on top of that, U22 midfielder Federico Redondo is also out due to injury. These are just the most recent injuries; the full list is much longer. Oh, and did we mention Lionel Messi has missed Miami’s last three games?
Messi is officially listed as questionable for this one. You have to feel like he’ll at least make an appearance. Even if he gets on the field, you can’t be confident in Inter Miami’s ability to keep Monterrey off the board. Monterrey are always incredibly dangerous, but the current group is tied atop Liga MX with Club América and have scored 23 teams through 13 games of the Clausura. It’s not just Rayados; it’s a high-level version.
Right now, it feels like too many factors are working against the Herons to reach the heights that seemed promised by their roster build. But, then again, one team has Messi and one team doesn’t. One team has Luis Suárez and one team doesn’t. That’s enough to keep you believing. At least a little.
Tags: Wednesday Kickoff Inter Miami faces difficult CCC test Monterrey
