This is one in a series of team previews preparing fans for the 2023 MLS season. Check out the full list; teams will be revealed in predicted order of finish from Feb. 10-24.
What Inter Miami CF did last year
They made the playoffs. No, I’m not really sure how it happened either. But we can basically sum it up as Alejandro Pozuelo arrived midway through the season and, in a less literal sense, Gonzalo Higuain did too. With Pozuelo pulling the strings and Higuain suddenly red hot, the Herons rode a solid final stretch of the season to a first-round playoff exit. Now, Pozuelo and Higuain are both gone. But at least a solid midfield of Gregore and Jean Mota remains.
Key additions
Defender Sergii Kryvtsov (transfer from Shakhtar Donetsk), forward Josef Martínez (signing), midfielder Nicolás Stefanelli (transfer from AIK Fotboll)
Key departures
Forward Gonzalo Higuain (retirement), defender Damion Lowe (trade to Philadelphia), midfielder Alejandro Pozuelo (out of contract)
Making the case for Inter Miami CF
Uhhhhh so, it’s really, really hard to do that. I think Gregore and Mota are great. Drake Callender put together an excellent season at goalkeeper. Deandre Yedlin is as effective as they come at right back. And getting DP Leo Campana back at striker was huge.
However, it kind of seems like head coach Phil Neville brought Josef Martinez in to play in two-striker system with Campana and, well, after watching every post-ACL tear Josef Martinez game, I don’t think it’s going to work. On top of that, without Pozuelo, they seem to have no real creative force in midfield unless you expect Rodolfo Pizarro to finally come good.
There is world, I guess, where all of those pieces come together and create a cohesive attack that buoys a pretty uninspiring back line, but it’s really hard to envision that world.
(Editor's note: It's a world in which they sign Lionel Messi to a big crazy summer deal that turns MLS on its head, but even then ...)
Players to watch
Pizarro has been an objective disaster for Inter Miami. They sent him out on loan last year and can’t get rid of him this year. It’s critical that he take a step forward this year. Otherwise I just can’t see this attack clicking in a meaningful way.
Especially considering how little dynamism and movement we’ve seen out of Josef the last couple of years. There’s always a chance we see a revitalized version of one of the league’s best-ever players, but I’m skeptical at best.
A nerdy tidbit
Per American Soccer Analysis’ “expected points metric”, the underlying numbers place Inter Miami as the 10th best team in last seasons’ Eastern Conference. Basically the tidbit is that Gonzalo Higuain had to retire because his back probably hurt too much from carrying them over the finish line.
A fun tidbit
The internet found that video of Phil Neville forgetting how to count to four again last week.
Projected finish
7th in the East
This one is a lot like our Red Bulls preview in that I’m not really all that sure how Inter Miami ended up here. Honestly, it’s really, really difficult to envision this group as a playoff team. No Higuain. No Pozuelo. No proof of concept that the Herons can operate a high level across the season.