There was a time, not too long ago, when news that Lionel Messi would be out indefinitely with an ankle injury would have sparked panic among the Inter Miami fan base.
Not anymore.
Although Messi is the captain, a legend, reigning World Cup and Copa America champion and is tied for the team lead with 12 goals, his teammates figured out how to win without him this summer while he played for Argentina.
Of course, Miami fans are disappointed when he doesn’t play for the club, especially those who paid top dollar for tickets; but even without No. 10, they have been getting a good show. Heading into the home game against the Chicago Fire at Chase Stadium on Saturday (7:30 p.m., Apple TV), Inter Miami is 5-1 in its past six games without Messi.
Despite the absence of Messi and Luis Suarez, who combined for 24 goals, the team sits atop the MLS standings with 10 games to go. Miami has 50 points, two more than second-place Cincinnati and seven more than third-place Columbus Crew, the defending league champion. Fifty points was enough to clinch a playoff spot last season.
Suarez was missing from five of the six summer games and played only sparingly in his return game Wednesday, a 3-1 home win against Toronto. And yet, the team managed to score 12 goals without the dynamic duo over the six-game stretch. Inter Miami leads MLS with 54 goals over 24 games. The next highest goal total is 49 by Real Salt Lake and Miami’s goal differential is plus-16.
During the six games without Messi, Miami got goals from Robert Taylor, Ian Fray (2), Leo Campana, Leo Afonso, Julian Gressel, Jordi Alba, Benja Cremaschi, Sergiy Kryvtsov, Diego Gomez and Fede Redondo.
Gressel ranks third in the league with 12 assists, just behind Messi’s 13.
“It shows strength and good mentality within the team that we didn’t let their absence affect us too much,” said Taylor. “They need us to win games without them because they knew there was Copa America, they needed us to perform. Obviously, we miss them a lot, and hope to get everyone back really soon because we need everyone on the squad, especially those two.”
The fact that Inter Miami lost just of one the past six games and had 10 different scorers during that stretch is a testament to coach Tata Martino, Taylor said.
“Managing a big group of players is really, really difficult,” Taylor said. “You’re going to have to disappoint 10 players at least when they are not on the squad or on the bench, and he has been able to keep the morale up. Everyone who goes on the field is playing for the team, which you can see. They are not playing for themselves. That also shows a lot how he is maintaining the team mentality and everyone feels important.”
Taylor said Martino keeps everyone motivated by paying close attention to what each player does in training, no matter their age or pedigree, and giving everyone an opportunity to play.
“I’ve played in teams where I felt I didn’t have any chance no matter what I do on the field, but here it’s different,” Taylor said.
Taylor and assistant coach Javi Morales stressed that the team is not satisfied being in first place in July and remains hungry and highly motivated heading into the final third of the season and the upcoming Leagues Cup. Miami opens Leagues Cup with a home game against Mexican team Pueblas on July 27.
“We do have the responsibility to defend [the Leagues Cup] and that’s the way we’re going to go at it, to go win it again,” Taylor said. “It’s another trophy to go and win. We know how important it was for the club to win it last year and we’re taking it very, very serious.”
Taylor said he doesn’t keep track of the standings this early in the season and did not know that the team had accumulated 50 points thus far.
Morales added: “This team is very ambitious. We are happy with the points we have but we want more.”
The Fire is in 13 th place in the Eastern Conference with 25 points and 29 goals and coming off a 1-0 road victory over Cincinnati and a scoreless tie against New York City FC.
“They went and beat Cincinnati away, which is a really great result for them, so we know they’re going to come here with a lot of confidence that they can beat another top team away,” Taylor said. “But we’re going to try to not let that happen.”
Inter Miami midfielder Sergio Busquets will be available against the Fire after missing the Wednesday game serving a suspension. Center back Sergiy Kryvtsov injured his knee and is questionable. The team will debut its retro aqua uniform, which has Miami Dolphins and Miami Vice vibes.
After this weekend’s games, the league takes a break for MLS All-Star Week in Columbus, Ohio. The best players in MLS will play the top players from Mexico’s Liga MX on Wednesday at 8 p.m.
Diego Gomez linked to Brighton
Diego Gomez, who is at the Paris Olympics representing Paraguay, confirmed after the win against Toronto Wednesday that his representatives are in talks with English club Brighton about a potential move. He said his intention coming to Inter Miami was to use it as a springboard to Europe.
“Diego’s a great player, and when you have a great player, he’s going to get offers,” Morales said. “We know how capable Diego is and how important he is for us, but right now it’s just rumors. I hope we can keep him a little longer.”
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