We may need to pump the brakes a bit on any Championship talk involving what is currently a 5th place team that’s virtually clinching their playoff spot on decision day. This is something that we know going in, but how else could we read into the performance that Inter Miami put up against Orlando City this Wednesday? One of the things that we loved was that both teams were heading into the game needing to win badly. In the 30th second of the game Leonardo Camapana found the back of the net on a broken play in which the entire Orlando City back line, and goalkeeper Gallese hadn’t seemed to realize the game had started.
Another thing that we really liked about Miami was the fact that Gonzalo Higuain was engaged. One of the doubts that we had coming into the game was whether or not Gonzalo would be able to pull himself up after the highly emotional press conference that he held to announce his retirement. Tonight though he looked like the smartest player on the pitch. Even the fact that he slowly crept his way to the box in his first goal of the match played in his favor. The Orlando City defense didn’t even account for him, and he put the ball in with a tremendous finish.
Gonzalo Higuaín, a true king. 👑
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) October 6, 2022
His fifth straight game with a goal makes it 2-0! #InterMiamiCF pic.twitter.com/6n8BvEDF3s
Is Miami FC Good or Is Orlando City Just That Bad?
When you start off the game with a goal on the 30th second of the match you have to think there’s some complacency from the other team. With how the play developed we can’t deny the fact that as we mentioned Orlando City looked like they were still in the locker room. Still, we have to give credit where credit is due. Inter Miami showed up to play, and Orlando City just clearly didn’t. There’s not much more to say on that front.
Inter Miami have now won their last 4 games. With that in mind they are definitely one of the hottest teams coming into the playoffs. We can’t forget though that before winning those games they lost 3 straight. With Inter Miami we truly don’t know what we’re going to get, but if they can ride this positive wave there’s certainly hope for Phil Neville’s side.
The Campana Injury Can Be A Real Concern
Perhaps the most concerning issue to come out of this game for Inter Miami is the Leonardo Campana injury. In the past few games we showed great chemistry with Higuain upfront. Essentially Gonzalo was able to play a bit behind him a very traditional number 10 role, and Campana was doing a lot of the dirty work. If the injury is significant, and he’s slated to miss some time heading into the playoffs this can certainly be an absence that alters the team’s chances heading into the tournament. Higuain showed that he’s ready to leave everything on the field in his last few games as a pro. The concern is that there’s just not much left for him. He’ll probably be able to get out of bed, and poach balls like he did in the second goal of the match when he’s 50. How many sprints does he have left though? He needs help, and they need to find someone to cover for Campana.
They Are Not Favorites, But They Can Be A Scary Team
As a team getting in at the last minute It’s pretty clear that Inter Miami are not going to be favorites to win it all. There’s enough talent on this team though to be able to give plenty of other squads a good scare. They seem to have rallied emotionally around Higuain after the retirement announcement, and they’ve got nothing to lose!
