Player Ratings From Inter Miami's Messi-Less Match vs. Monterrey
+ Quotes from Tata Martino.
photo credit: Inter Miami CF
Inter Miami’s first foray into the CONCACAF Champions Cup was a pleasant surprise.
Though Monterrey is a powerhouse in Mexican football, Miami largely held its own in a heated quarterfinal.
Messi-less and with a squad filled to the brim with injuries, Tata Martino rolled out his team in a 4-3-3, something Inter Miami fans will be pleased to see again.
After a few nervy moments in the first 45, the Herons eventually scored first through a Tomas Avilés goal in the 19th minute. All was alright heading into half-time until the Herons, specifically the younger players, heads got lost in the magnitude of the moment.
Due to David Ruiz's boo-boo the foolery, Miami was down to ten men in the 65th minute. The subsequent moments of the match saw the men in pink progressively get sloppier, despite the effort in the final third.
Though this result isn’t a death sentence for Miami, I can’t imagine how frustrated the players may be. There were moments in the match where the Herons could’ve taken the lead had they been sharper in the final third.
In the end, with the heavy possibility of Messi returning for the second leg and only down 2-1 on aggregate, Miami will have an opportunity to win the tie.
Here are the Player Ratings for Miami’s CCC night match-up vs. Monterrey.
Goalkeeping, Defense:
🧤 Drake Callendar - 7: Had a couple of phenomenal saves throughout the match. Shame he couldn’t keep a clean sheet due to defensive mistakes from his teammates.
🎻 Marcelo Weigandt - 7.4: Largely effective in attack and defense. Looking like the ideal DeAndre Yedlin replacement.
🦌 Tomas Avilés - 6.3: Would’ve had a great game, until the mistake at the end that directly led to a goal.
🐻 Nicolás Freire - 7.5: No real complaints from me about Nico. Held his own. Works well alongside Avilés.
💨 Jordi Alba - 8: Jordi Alba really doesn’t do much wrong with this backline. He’s the most consistent player here. Tonight, he showed it once again.
Midfield:
💈 David Ruiz - 4: ….self-explanatory.
🧮 Sergio Busquets - 6.7: Didn’t really stand out, but he’s the metronome that helps Miami click.
✌️ Diego Gómez - 5: Like Ruiz and Avilés, tired legs and a slow mind will be your downfall as a footballer. Unfortunately, Gomez had to experience it tonight.
Attack:
🥨 Julian Gressel - 8: Another solid game from the German-American. Ran his legs off and played like three different positions throughout the match. Ended the game with two chances created, four clearances, and three recoveries.
🔫 Luis Suárez - 7.5: Despite being 37 years old with a nagging knee injury, the former Barcelona man showed he still had the stamina and passion to fight til the end.
🪽 Robert Taylor - 6: “Take my leg, Robert Taylor!” - Inter Miami fans, probably.
Substitutes:
🦁 (#73) Leo Afonso - 7.3: I really like his game, and I’m glad Miami signed him to a first-team contract. He brings energy and willingness to be aggressive in the final third. If Miami can’t reach a deal with Matias Rojas, I don’t mind Afonso soaking up some minutes on the wings.
⛵ Ryan Sailor - 6.8: Like Freire, no real complaints. Came on in a difficult spot and did a solid job of holding Monterrey at bay.
Coaching:
🔢 Tata Martino - 7.5: Tactically, a solid game from Martino. Miami didn’t look intimidated and got into a nice rhythm once they were able to get the ball. It’s disheartening that the result slipped due to player errors. Also thought the Leo Afonso sub in the first half was brilliant.
Post-Game Quotes from Tata Martino:
On Messi’s injury:
“Like we said, we’re going game to game.” [We evaluted him] and it was too soon. Every day he’s feeling better. It would’ve been too soon to play him.”
On David Ruiz:
“It was a learning experience. He continued to want to learn. When he was on the field, he did well. These kinds of erros you make when you’re a young player. You learn.”
On Robert Taylor:
“The injury to RT, I haven’t spoke to the doctors about it.”
On Afonso:
“He’s been working very well and training well.”
On the Attack During the Game:
“What I said before, we are at the beginning of the season. We played a bit, but it’s only a month and a half. We competed well, but we also have to look at the starters who are out.”
He says it’s not an excuse, though.
On The Second Half:
“The first thing, is that we didn’t have enough legs to do the last 20 minutes. Playing against Monterry, you have to be fit. We chose a line of five [when we were down 10] because we wanted to consildate the backline.”
Agree? Disagree? Leave a comment below! Let’s discuss it!
My heart breaks a little for Ruiz. Bad enough to lose your head in a match, but when you're so young with such a spotlight on you... Hope he can shake it off.
On another note, your choice of images next to the players names always cracks me up.
I feel that's too rough on Aviles. He deserved a 9 or more in my book. He scored the opener and made monster clearances that would have been sure goals otherwise. He also made the right decision passing to Gomez, Gomez made the mistake of not clearing the ball or controlling it.
On a separate note, I really really wanted to see a replay of the potential handball/possible penalty right before the second goal. Could have been a major decision. I'm not saying it was the wrong call, just wanted to double-check and make sure, for peace of mind.
We continue to believe. Messi will bring us back