{"id":28880,"date":"2020-08-21T20:06:52","date_gmt":"2020-08-22T00:06:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsoccer.com\/?p=28880"},"modified":"2020-08-21T20:06:52","modified_gmt":"2020-08-22T00:06:52","slug":"inter-miami-ready-home-opener-florida-derby","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/2020\/08\/21\/inter-miami-ready-home-opener-florida-derby\/","title":{"rendered":"Close to that elusive first win, Inter Miami ready for home opener in Florida Man Derby"},"content":{"rendered":"

Preview \u2014 <\/strong>Club Internacional de F<\/a><\/span>\u00fatbol Miami<\/a>, better known as Inter Miami, will finally play their first MLS home game Saturday night when they meet in-state rival Orlando City SC<\/a> in Inter Miami Stadium in Fort Lauderdale (8 p.m., Unimas nationally).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It won\u2019t be the home opener everyone anticipated back in March, as the club readied to take on the LA Galaxy<\/a> before the global COVID-19 pandemic put a stop to soccer \u2014 and so much else in life \u2014 just three days before the game. The game will be played behind closed doors, in front of club staff, media, and <\/span>cardboard cutout fans only. <\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In this era of rapid MLS expansion and thriving, organic soccer cultures that vary from city to city, it\u2019s tough to stomach the idea of the first MLS game in South Florida in nearly 20 years being played in a stadium of echoes. But sports are helping slowly claw the world back from the brink in the pandemic, and while the building won\u2019t be full of throaty fans donned in pink and black, for their part, Inter Miami\u2019s players and staff are energized to give the South Florida community something to cheer about.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re very excited to resume the season and see it as a great opportunity to keep fighting for our dreams,\u201d manager Diego Alonso told the media this week.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe are a few steps away from where we want to be,\u201d Alonso acknowledged.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But the team feels it is close.<\/span><\/p>\n

New additions help bolster Inter Miami<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The addition of former Atlanta United<\/a> stalwart Leandro Gonzalez Pirez buoys the already strong spine of the team and the signing of French World Cup champion Blaise Matuidi from Italian giant Juventus finally gives the team a connecting bite in midfield beyond the outstanding Rodolfo Pizarro. Matuidi won\u2019t be able to play Saturday, due to COVID-19 protocols, but the team is excited to have him and ready to play. A veteran forward is expected to be signed shortly, with all eyes on Peru’s Jefferson Farf\u00e1n, a good footballing and cultural fit.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That all spells excitement for what may lay around the bend.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s going to be great to be back on the field and start what, in a mind-blowing way, is the third part of our season,\u201d team captain Luis Robles told the media in a Zoom call earlier this week. \u201cIt\u2019s not the home opener we envisioned, to be sure. That day will come to fruition though. We\u2019ll miss the fans, we\u2019ll even miss you all (media). Until everyone is there and it\u2019s rocking full of fans who waited a long time (for the debut), it\u2019s not going to be the same.”<\/span><\/p>\n

But the different atmosphere doesn\u2019t change the urgency, winger Lewis Morgan added.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe feel an obligation to go out there and get three points. Building a fortress at home is always the goal. That\u2019s where you get the majority of your points in this sport,\u201d Morgan said. \u201cBut we\u2019ve been through a lot and this community has been a lot and we want to go out and get that first win and give the fans something to be proud about and remember.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Eyeing the first victory in Inter Miami history<\/strong><\/h3>\n

To grab the first win in club history, Inter Miami will need to topple one of the surprise stories in the entire soccer universe in 2020 in Oscar Pareja\u2019s Orlando City. Buoyed by the Pareja hire, some refreshing young playmakers and a rejuvenated and fiercely competitive star in Portugal\u2019s Nani, the Lions stunned the MLS world by not only winning a difficult group at the MLS Is Back Tournament last month, but by reaching the final, where they fell to Portland.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Orlando\u2019s deep run tournament featured standout performances from not just Nani but young winger Chris Mueller and electrifying fullback Ruan, showed that under Pareja, Orlando City aren\u2019t content to be losers anymore. It also featured the first \u201cFlorida Man Derby\u201d (a far more sensible nickname than <\/span>Tropic Thunder<\/span><\/a>, though I admit that <\/span>\u201cThe Hot Mess\u201d,<\/span><\/a> from the all-things Florida Soccer Twitter feed <\/span>route1soccer <\/span><\/a>is solid), which Orlando won on a late bit of magic from Nani.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That game helped Miami earn Pareja and Orlando\u2019s respect, the Lions manager said this week.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMiami is a team who has been evolving for sure. It\u2019s a new franchise with a new coach and what we learned from the tournament is that they have players with a lot of intensity and they have an idea, under Diego, of how they want to play. It was a good game, and we\u2019ll look at some stuff from that prior game, but it\u2019s a new day and a new game and we\u2019ll need to prepare well.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Final Thoughts ahead of Miami vs. Orlando\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The truth is, Inter Miami hasn’t been too far away. The dominated D.C. United<\/a> for large stretches before a dubious red card changed the game. They went toe-to-toe with the league\u2019s best team, LAFC<\/a>, on opening day, and were deprived a point only because Carlos Vela is magic.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n