Short-handed Inter Miami looking for redemption against Nashville SC

The Inter Miami CF (1-1-0, 3 points) team that Nashville SC

(0-0-2, 2 points) will match up against at 1 p.m. on Sunday at Nissan Stadium (ESPN) won’t resemble the unsettled Inter Miami team they eliminated from the 2020 MLS Cup playoffs.

And Nashville SC is well aware of this.

Inter Miami have experienced wide-ranging changes since the last time the two teams, which both began playing in MLS last season, faced each other to end Inter Miami’s inaugural season last November: a new coach (Phil Neville), a new sporting director (Chris Henderson) and nearly a dozen new players.

One thing that isn’t expected to be different in Sunday’s matchup is Inter Miami missing key contributors.

Federico and Gonzalo Higuaín are doubtful against Nashville SC after leaving South Florida earlier this week to be with their family after their mother’s death. Neither of the Higuaín brothers played against Nashville in the playoffs after testing positive for COVID-19.

Also doubtful for Sunday’s game are: Julian Carranza

(non-COVID-19 illness), Robbie Robinson (hamstring injury) and Rodolfo Pizarro (in Mexico obtaining green card), which could leave Inter Miami without their starting center forward (Gonzalo Higuaín), left winger (Robinson) and central attacking midfielder (Pizarro) in addition to two key attacking reserves.

“Omissions or no omissions, we’ll plan for what I believe to be a more organized, still and exciting Miami group,” Nashville SC coach Gary Smith said. “They made some good additions to the group to improve that team. There were a lot of changes, but some of the guys that have come in have added some very good experience and depth to that group.”

Smith credited Neville for having Inter Miami play more disciplined defensively while also not taking away from their attack.

“To what I’ve seen, it hasn’t affected their ability to score goals or create,” he said. “There is a far more disciplined and determined edge to that group than maybe we saw last year. The challenge is going to be how do they make themselves more difficult to play against and it looks to me that Phil’s got a real good answer to that with this group.”

Nashville defender Dylan Nealis has a similar impression of Inter Miami as Smith, but has an even greater insight into the team than most.

Nealis played for Inter Miami in 2020 after being drafted by the club with the No. 3 pick in the

2020 MLS Super Draft, making

19 appearances for Inter Miami last year and spending this year’s preseason training camp with the club before being traded to Nashville in mid-April.

“Phil’s going to have them buy into the same goal this year,” Nealis said. “They’re all going to follow Phil’s way. They had a good showing in the first two games. Maybe unlucky against the first game against the Galaxy. The Philly game was a good comeback win. They’re a better team and more organized, for sure.”

Inter Miami are looking for their first win against Nashville SC.

Nashville SC won the first regular-season meeting between the expansion siblings, 1-0, and the two teams played to a scoreless draw in the second regular-season game between the two sides before Nashville beat Inter Miami, 3-0, in last year’s playoffs.

Inter Miami are coming off a 2-1 comeback win over the Philadelphia Union last weekend, while Nashville SC are looking for their first victory of the season after drawing in their first two matches.

With so many potential absences, Neville sees Sunday as an opportunity to showcase the team’s depth.

“Now is our opportunity to show the quality and strength of the squad, to give players opportunities that have been champing at the bit,” Neville said. “I’ve got to say, Victor Ulloa has been incredible in training, so too has Jay Chapman. Edison Azcona has been someone that I think is ready to play in an MLS game.

“The style of play will be non-negotiable. We’re going to play the style of play that we’ve played with since I came in, and we’ve just got to make sure we find our rhythm and the quality and the confidence that we showed in Philadelphia and against the LA Galaxy.”