Depleted Inter Miami desperate to snap six-game losing streak Saturday vs. Philadelphia
Lionel Messi’s imminent arrival at Inter Miami and Friday’s social media post welcoming Sergio Busquets to the club are impossible stories to ignore; but interim coach Javi Morales insists his team is blocking it out and fully focused on snapping its six-game losing streak Saturday on the road against the Philadelphia Union.
Miami is in last place in the MLS Eastern Conference at midseason and desperate to notch a win against the fourth place Union.
The task will be particularly difficult because Miami’s defense will be depleted against a Philadelphia team that has scored 30 goals, nine of them by former Inter Miami forward Julian Carranza.
Inter Miami right back DeAndre Yedlin (USA) and center back Kamal Miller (Canada) are away with their national teams for the Gold Cup. Center back Serhiy Kryvtsov was back home in Ukraine working out a visa issue this week and is doubtful.
“I always tell the players there are no excuses, it is what it is, and we have to adapt to the situation,” Morales said. “I believe in the players. We’re going to have a lot of young players on the team, but there’s no time to feel sorry for ourselves. We have to compete.”
Morales was asked how the team is staying on task with so many distractions revolving around Messi, other star players expected to sign, and the coach search. On Friday the club posted a Tweet that read: “Si, Busi” referring to Busquets’ nickname, and included quotes praising him from various international soccer stars. Sources close to the negotiations said the former FC Barcelona midfielder will be a Designated Player and sign a two and a half year deal through 2025.
“I have a long career as a player and I have had mental coaches, and the most important thing in these cases is you have to control only what you can control,” Morales said. “I cannot control what the media says, what people are talking about. What I can control is the formation, the players who are going to play Saturday, and that is most important because every time I look at my phone and see we are in last place, I don’t like it. It hurts me a lot.
“So, my work now is to help the players and the club get out of that position as soon as possible.”
Left back Franco Negri, midfielder Dixon Arroyo and forward Robbie Robinson have returned to training following injuries and are expected to be on the roster for Saturday’s game (7:30 p.m., AppleTV). Backup goalkeeper Nick Marsman is back after being hospitalized for a few days with a spider bite that got infected. Ryan Sailor is still out.
“It’s going to be a very hard game against a rival we know well,” Morales said. “They play a very direct style, they’re physical, so we’re trying to counter those traits.”
Miami is 5-0-12. Philadelphia is 9-5-3. The Union has several scoring weapons other than Carranza. Midfielder Daniel Gazdag has seven goals and eight assists. Forward Mikkel Uhre has six goals. Miami’s top scorer is Josef Martinez with four goals, and Leo Campana has three.
Miami beat Philadelphia 2-0 at home when the teams played in early March. Midfielders Gregore, Jean Mota and Coco Jean have all since suffered injuries that required surgery and will keep them sidelined for several months. Coach Phil Neville was fired June 1 and assistant coach Morales is leading the team until a permanent coach is hired.
Team managing owner Jorge Mas said there are three finalists for the job and confirmed that Tata Martino has been interviewed. Martino led Atlanta United to the 2018 MLS Cup, and coached at Barcelona and with the Argentine national team. Asked if he has been interviewed, Morales smiled and replied: “Not really. They know me.”
Inter Miami players are itching to get back on the field after the two-week international break. Defender Christopher McVey said the time off allowed players to reset after the tough losing stretch. “I think that’s the best way for us to see it, as a restart. Just got a little break from it, get away from it, everyone’s back and ready to go.”
