Rodolfo Pizarro among Inter Miami players with national team during MLS’s break from play
Inter Miami CF’s next match may not be until June 19, but that doesn’t mean their players will be idle from gameplay for the next 2 1/2 weeks.
FIFA’s men’s international match window opened on Monday and will run through Tuesday or June 15 depending on which FIFA governing body one’s national team belongs to.
Defender/midfielder Joevin Jones is among the Inter Miami players who’ll play for their national team during the international window. He was called up to the Trinidad and Tobago men’s national team, who play World Cup qualifiers against the Bahamas on Saturday in Nassau, Bahamas and Saint Kitts and Nevis on Tuesday in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
Defender Kelvin Leerdam is with Suriname men’s national team, who host Bermuda in their World Cup qualifying match on Friday at Dr. Ir. Franklin Essed Stadion. Suriname will play another World Cup qualifier against Canada on Tuesday in Chicago.
Despite not being listed on their final 23-player roster last week, midfielder Rodolfo Pizarro has been training with Mexico’s men’s national team in Denver ahead of their their CONCACAF Nations League semifinal against Costa Rica on Thursday. Mexico also plays Honduras in an international friendly on June 11 in Atlanta.
Pizarro missed Inter Miami’s past two games due to a hip flexor injury.
He didn’t travel for their 1-0 loss to the Chicago Fire on May 22 because of the hip injury before returning to training leading up to Inter Miami’s matchup versus D.C. United on May 29 at DRV PNK Stadium, which Miami lost, 3-0. Pizarro was expected to be available for Inter Miami’s final game before the international break, but he wasn’t on the team’s game-day roster versus D.C. United, with a club spokesperson saying Pizarro aggravated the hip flexor injury.
Inter Miami have a 2-4-2 record through their first eight games of 2021 going 1-3-0 in the final four matches before the international break.
Miami’s next game after the break will be a road matchup against D.C. United on June 19, with its next home game coming on June 25 versus in-state rival Orlando City.
“There needs to be a period of clearing the mind,” Inter Miami coach Phil Neville said. “There’s been lot happening: crowds back in, different emotions in games, new manager, new culture within the football club — there needs to be a period now of just clearing the mind for 3-4 days and then getting back to work.
“I want us to be fresh, I want the players going away to international duty to go away and have a different environment and come back determined to get three points against D.C. the next time we play them.”
Inter Miami also have players from their USL League One team, Fort Lauderdale CF, who are with their respective national teams.
Fort Lauderdale CF defender Modesto Mendez and forward Dairon Reyes were called up to the Cuban national team for their World Cup qualifiers.
Cuba played the British Virgin Islands on Wednesday in Guatemala City, Guatemala and will match up against St. Vincent and the Grenadines on Tuesday in St. George’s, Grenada.
