Player Ratings From Inter Miami's Chilly Loss vs. FC Dallas
logo credit: Inter Miami CF
It’s cold in Texas.
I don’t know if you all have been keeping up with the news, but most of the country, including the Lone Star State, has been in an unfortunate deep freeze since the start of January.
The temperature at kickoff for the match was down to about 39 degrees Fahrenheit (ca. 4 °C.)
Not something we Miami folks are used to!
Regardless of the weather, the Herons managed to turn up the heat in their attacking play despite the loss.
Unlike the El Salvador game, the Herons looked less tired and filled with more attacking ideas.
The combination play between Messi, Suarez, Alba, and Busquets was solid, and it’s clear that the team will play a heavy possession-based style. (I’ll have more on that later…)
Weather aside, let’s break down player ratings from Inter Miami’s match against FC Dallas.
*I’ll be rating every player on a scale of 1 to 10, with 5 being average. And I'm basing this on mainly the first 45 minutes. For the substitutes, I’ll judge accordingly.
Player Ratings:
Goalkeeping, Defense:
🧤 Drake Callendar - 6: Didn’t have much to do. Made a couple of good saves as the match progressed.
🏎️ DeAndre Yedlin - 6.5: Again, another solid showing. Used his pace well, and could’ve done more on the offensive end.
🦌 Tomas Avilés - 6: Looked uncomfortable compared to his minutes against El Salvador. I suggest he plays centrally in a back three.
🏋️ Serhiy Kryvtsov - 4: Very clearly a rotation option for this team. Got beat for pace multiple times and had one too many blunders.
🐥 Noah Allen - 7: Another good game from the youngster. Inching closer to that starting spot as a left center-back alongside Avilés and soon-to-be signing Nicolas Freire.
💨 Jordi Alba - 7.5: Stretched Dallas’ back line and combined well with his ex-Barcelona teammates. Played a full 90, a literal Iron Man!
Midfield:
🥨 Julian Gressel - 6: Tried his best, but looked a tad bit lost. I think with time, he’ll grow more confident.
🧮 Sergio Busquets - 7.5: Looked much better compared to the match against El Salvador, dictated the tempo, and pushed the game.
💈 David Ruiz - 6.3: Did well to drive forward, but still needs time to learn how to play quicker between the lines.
Attack:
🐐 Lionel Messi - 7: Looked his usual self. Still getting into season mode. Still the GOAT, lol.
🔫 Luis Suárez - 6.5: I know people are going to complain about his slight limp, but the man has the hustle and creative ideas that will eventually pay off. Looked hungry and eager. Also, I want to point out he was hobbling around in Brazil and still managed to score 26 goals in 53 appearances for Gremio. 🤷🏽♀️
Substitutes:
🪽 Robert Taylor - 6.3: Think he’s a decent option as a central midfielder (sort of like a mezzala.) Will certainly get more minutes as the season progresses.
🦒 Chris McVey - 5.5: Did fine. Still think he’s a good depth piece for the team.
🫡 Nicolás Stefanelli - 5.3: Came on and brought an energy that quickly fell off as the game went on. Didn’t quite click in the final third. Enjoyed his blonde haircut, haha.
🧔♂️ Leonardo Campana - 5.5: Used his height well and combined okay with his strike partner. Like Stefanelli, didn’t quite click in the final third.
🐺 Gregore - 5.7: Once again, not a lot of the substitutes covered themselves in glory. Had moments where he pushed the ball forward, but also lost it a couple of times in bad areas of the field.
🦩 Lawson Sunderland - 6: Go on big fella! (He’s like 6’3”.) Much like Campana used his frame well and had a couple of nifty touches. Looking forward to seeing more from him.
⛵ Ryan Sailor - 5: Looked better than the El Salvador game. Probably won’t be a starter on this team.
A quick note… on Miami’s set formation
Uhm, I know folks may have personal preferences for certain formations, but I think this match against Dallas showed that they’ve been working on passing patterns over the off season and will use a back three going forward.
The Herons were able to keep the majority of possession, rotated their positions well, and had consistent creative ideas.
I get it, fans want to see goals, and they would like to see Miami win. But, at the end of the day, the squad is working on fitness, preventing injury, and chemistry heading into the 2024 season.
So, as long as they’re able to keep working on implementation and execution, it’s only a matter of time before everything starts to click.
Miami literally have Messi on their team. Of course, they’ll score goals.
Agree? Disagree? Leave a comment below! Let’s discuss it!
I think these are fair ratings. One thing I would like to see going forward is for players other than Busquets or Alba to make forward passes especially between two opposition players. I feel like they are often scared they might not be able to complete the pass and they opt for the safer backward pass, which kills the rhythm and slows the attack. This was something Farias was willing to do but unfortunately, he is no longer available.
That being said regarding his replacement, I saw your tweet about the rules that they can get a player as long as he has the same salary or less as Farias. But since he was a young DP, and he was bought for 5 million I believe (I could be wrong), does the purchase also have to be for 5 mil or less, or can they spend more money for the purchase as long as the salary is the same? These rules seem to be very confusing. Thanks!
Totally agree. This is what the preseason is for. I’d much rather they stay healthy and work out the kinks than come out guns blazing and risk injury. Thanks for the always fair and balanced coverage, Alex!