Inter Miami Looks Ready For 2024 In Loss vs Chicago Fire

_{LAST MATCH: Miami 1 - Chicago 4}

_{NEXT MATCH: vs. FC Cincinnati, Saturday, October 7th, 7:30 PM EST}

_{WHERE TO WATCH:}

Good morning! Inter Miami looked ready for the off-season during their 4-1 loss against the Chicago Fire.

Unfortunately, this means their chances of making the playoffs are slipping away. But hey, let's not dwell on the negatives - remember when they won the Leagues Cup? That was pretty cool!

Right…? 

Updated standings:

In the email today:

Inter Miami were thoroughly beaten by the Chicago Fire last night, dealing a blow to their playoff hopes.

Despite missing their star players Lionel Messi and Jordi Alba for the fourth consecutive game, the Herons aimed to pick up some points in a tight race for the last two playoff spots in the Eastern Conference.

However, the team's lackluster performance on the field suggested otherwise, as they seemed ready to rest and re-tool for 2024. Fans understandably felt frustrated by the display, as the team appeared slow, offensively out of synch, and defensively exposed.

But, there could be a clear reason for this…

The current Miami squad is an amalgamation of two managers, Tata Martino, and ex-IMCF coach Phil Neville. In fact, Neville constructed the majority of this roster, with Martino bringing in only six players during the summer:

Whatever your thoughts about Martino are, it’s clear that he’s coaching a roster filled with players who weren’t his first choice. Martino has shown he’s more than capable of winning in this league when given the right tools.

Additionally, Miami hasn't had a proper chance to train as a full squad due to their jam-packed schedule, except for winning the Leagues Cup. In July, the team underwent a reboot, with a new manager and six new players joining the squad. Most MLS sides have had a coach since January and completed the bulk of their roster in the winter, except for maybe 1-3 summer signings.

Of course, this isn’t an excuse, but when you look at the big picture, Miami may consider missing out on the playoffs this year a blessing in disguise.

I’ll leave you with a quote from Martino which, I believe, sums up what the club’s mentality is at the moment:

"I'm satisfied with what we've done throughout the year. I always thought since the moment I took over the team that these six months were going to be to give it some shape, to get to know the players and for the Club to have an excellent 2024. The conditions started to put objectives along the way that we were attaining, we were able to win a title, we lost a final and in a difficult situation, we remain with possibilities to make playoffs, something that three months ago was impossible to think of, so l'm happy with the way that we competed and I think that also it is very important the assessment that we can do in all these remaining games to make the best decisions for next year."

• Miami looked sluggish against a good Chicago Fire side.

• With their loss last night, Miami’s chances for the playoffs took a blow.

• Although they’re not mathematically eliminated, with just three games left, climbing the table will be extraordinarily difficult.

Our take: It’s evident that Miami needs to re-tool for 2024. Though their Leagues Cup triumph was great, there are several holes on the roster that need to be addressed.

2) 🔢 Player Ratings

• 🧤 Drake Callender - 7: Came up huge with several saves early, defense did him no favors.

• 💨 Noah Allen - 6.5: Was positionally poor, and far too open defensively.

• 🏋️ Kamal Miller- 8: Miami’s best player on the pitch, unfortunate that his performance was overshadowed by the Heron’s disastrous play on the field.

• 💪 Serhiy Kryvtsov - 6: Like his center-back partner, he was positionally aware and came up with some great tackles, but still too slow to play in Miami’s high-line possession-based system.

• 🇺🇸 DeAndre Yedlin - 5.5: Played too high and left space behind. Didn’t do much in attack.

• 🧮 Sergio Busquets - 6.5: Can only do so much in central midfield when his teammates are out of position.

• 🇪🇨 Dixon Arroyo - 6: Had a couple of poor giveaways initially but played okay for the rest of the match.

• 👶 Benjamin Cremaschi - 6.3: Had a couple of good looks on goal, but looked sluggish in transition.

• 🚀 Robert Taylor - 5: Not the best game from him. Looked stagnant in attack.

• 😡 Josef Martinez - 6.5: Dropped deep and linked up well, but still couldn’t connect in the final third, scored the game’s only goal.

• 🌟 Facundo Farias - 4: Gave the ball away far too many times, too many aimless dribbles where possession was lost. His worst game for Miami so far.

Subs:

• 🇦🇷 Nicolas Stefanelli - 6.6: Interchanged nicely with Mota when he came on the field.

• 🇧🇷 Jean Mota - 6.8: Had a couple of nifty passes to try to push Miami forward.

3) 😹 Memes Ensured When PSG lost 4-1 in the Champions League

4) 📊 Poll: System Updated Incoming?

Have additional thoughts? Reply directly to this email to comment, and see if we include your response tomorrow.

Results from our last poll Do You Think Messi Will Play Against FC Cincinnati: 62% of you said NO.

5) 🔗 Link Roundup:

• 🌎 Yesterday, FIFA announced the baffling decision to host the 2030 World Cup in three countries.

• 😅 Here’s a funny moment from David Beckham’s docu-series where he ‘calls’ out Victoria for slightly fibbing about her upbringing.

• 📱 Agent Vini! Real Madrid winger Vinicius Jr revealed that he texted Jude Bellingham incessantly to get the young English midfielder to move to Madrid.

The newsletter today was written by: Alex Windley @aaw_1998

Thanks for reading! Catch you on the flip side!