Three Takeaways From Inter Miami’s Cross Country Road Trip

Montreal, Canada – Inter Miami cap off a cross-country road trip with a win against the San Jose Earthquakes and a draw vs CF Montreal.

In what was a critical stretch of matches for Miami’s playoff hopes, the Herons managed to pick up a solid amount of points to keep themselves in the hunt:

FT: Miami take four points from two games on the road with a 2-2 draw away at Montreal.

Goals from Higuain and Emerson salvage a point for the Herons. That puts them just behind Orlando in the Eastern Conference standings.

On to NYCFC at home next week.#MTLvMIA #InterMiamiCF pic.twitter.com/bb7y0ouAdh

— Alex Windley (@aaw_1998) August 7, 2022

With a massive home match against NYCFC this weekend, Neville and his men got the job done on the road when they needed points the most.

Here are three takeaways from Inter Miami’s cross-country road trip.

Back Three Here To Stay?

If Inter Miami want to maximize all the attacking talent they have, the back three may be here to stay:

Neville on starting both Higuain and Campana:

"You to have to make this work, the other night we asked things of the both of them to [make it work.] If you too want to play together, you have to make it work."

Said they picked a formation to fit them both. #InterMiamiCF

— Alex Windley (@aaw_1998) August 5, 2022

So far, this formational switch has allowed Neville to play Pozuelo, Higuain, Duke, Taylor, and Campana all together without dropping either of them:

🧐 I wouldn't be surprised if Miami’s "4-3-3" actually plays something like a 3-4-2-1.

It'll essentially be the same formation Neville used on Wednesday, but with two attacking midfielders instead of two strikers. #InterMiamiCF pic.twitter.com/ZUvuEgBIKO

— Alex Windley (@aaw_1998) August 6, 2022

Against Montreal, Pozuelo and Duke were the two attacking midfielders behind Gonzalo Higuain who was playing up top. This allowed two creative players to be on the pitch together, while Higuain can focus on being the focal point of the Miami attack.

This trio, specifically, combined in the early stages of the game to put the Herons ahead. Some nice skill by Duke started the chain reaction which ultimately led Higuain to get his eighth goal of the season.

6' – WHAT A BALL. WHAT A FINISH.

Bryce Duke 🤝 Alejandro Pozuelo 🤝 Gonzalo Higuaín for a beautiful goal 🔥#MTLvMIA | 1-1 pic.twitter.com/KjHptfibne

— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) August 6, 2022

With Neville looking to expand Miami’s attack a bit more, the back three will probably be the formation the Herons use going forward. It provides width for the wingers, defensive cover, and positional freedom for players like Pozuelo and Duke.

It’ll be interesting to see if the formation holds up for the rest of the season, or if Neville reverts back to a 4-3-3.

Pozuelo’s Impact

Speaking of the back three, the biggest takeaway from that formation could be the budding on-the-field relationship between Pozuelo and his fellow teammates.

Since being acquired by the South Florida club, the Spaniard has been lights out for the boys in pink.

Since its inception, Inter Miami has struggled to find a consistent creative player in the middle of the park. There was the Rodolfo Pizarro experiment, then Federico Higuain came along and did his best, but Pozuelo has been the player that the club has needed since 2020:

Pozuelo is too good, oh my goodness.#MTLvMIA #InterMiamiCF

pic.twitter.com/nAHKMF5c8t

— Alex Windley (@aaw_1998) August 6, 2022

Not only does the 30-year-old make Miami better as a team, but he’s also a big influence on the younger generation as well:

Duke on Pozuelo's influence: "When Pozuelo came in, I used it as a learning curve."

Said he's picking up good habits from the Spaniard in regards to training and on the field tips.#InterMiamiCF

— Alex Windley (@aaw_1998) August 7, 2022

Bryce Duke Is Very Good

Lastly, Bryce Duke is developing into an outstanding player for Inter Miami:

Bryce Duke is too good.#SJvMIA #InterMiamiCF

pic.twitter.com/8KhHRPpjZ4

— Alex Windley (@aaw_1998) August 4, 2022

Not only did he show off some skills vs San Jose, but he also won Man of The Match for his performance against Montreal:

The Duke earns his first @Heineken_US Man of the Match👏🏽 pic.twitter.com/Zvzm6GitIw

— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) August 7, 2022

The future is bright for the young 21-year-old.