Leonardo Campana or Gonzalo Higuain in the No. 9 role? Or both of them together in a two-striker system?
They’re pivotal questions Inter Miami CF head coach Phil Neville faces ahead of Atlanta United visiting DRV PNK Stadium on Sunday afternoon (1 pm ET | ESPN, ESPN Deportes).
Higuain, their sole Designated Player, is again available for selection after recovering from a knee injury. But his absence coincided with Inter Miami winning three straight matches across all competitions with Campana in the lineup – and the Ecuadorian international has scored five of their eight goals this year.
As the Herons enter their third game in eight days, minute loads will also be front of mind for the English manager. Campana, on loan from the Premier League's Wolverhampton Wanderers, scored midweek to win a US Open Cup derby over USL Championship side Miami FC, 1-0.
“I think Campana at the moment is almost undroppable with his form and when goalscorers get on these runs you just let them fly, you don’t take them out of the action,” Neville said of the 21-year-old. “That is a brilliant problem for us to have up front.”
But that doesn’t discourage Higuain, Neville said, with the 34-year-old former Argentine international their leading scorer in 2021. He’s scored twice from the penalty spot in 2022.
“You can see with the intensity that Gonzalo’s trained this week, he knows he’s got a fight on his hands to get back in the team, because he sees someone scoring goals,” Neville said, noting they'll need the former Real Madrid and Juventus star. “And that inspires him because he’s always been looking for someone to shoulder the responsibility with him. I think what the team has proven in the last three games is that they can win without Gonzalo. So now there’s less pressure on him to come back in the team, there’s less focus on him and we can see him produce his best performances.”
Atlanta’s striker situation is also complex, with Josef Martinez out after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery in early April. The Venezuelan international missed nearly all of 2020 after tearing his right ACL, with this latest procedure cleaning out debris that’s built up.
It leaves ATLUTD manager Gonzalo Pineda likely picking from Dom Dwyer and Ronaldo Cisneros up top, while homegrown player Jackson Conway is another option. Dwyer, the MLS veteran, scored twice midweek in a 6-0 thumping of NISA foe Chattanooga FC in the US Open Cup’s Third Round. Cisneros is on loan from Liga MX’s Chivas Guadalajara.
“No. 9 is a key position, obviously,” Pineda said. “You need some consistency, you need to know your players around [you]. But the two options I have now, I don't think they have a lot of knowledge on that. So the spot is open and we will see. The other day Dom scored two fantastic goals, but also the other day Ronaldo did a fantastic job for us stretching the lines and chasing and pressing and giving us a different look in the attack, which is speed in behind. I have good choices and we will see what is the best fit for Miami.”
Atlanta will turn to Bobby Shuttleworth at goalkeeper after longtime starter Brad Guzan was confirmed to have ruptured his Achilles’ tendon in last weekend’s scoreless draw with FC Cincinnati.
And Miami will be without midfielder anchor Gregore for the first time this season due to yellow card accumulation. The Herons are yet to win in five prior games the Brazilian has missed.
Perhaps the selection challenges won’t matter, though, with Miami chasing a new high mark in their third year as a club.
“Sunday could be a first for us in terms of this franchise has never won four games on the run, so there’s a lot of challenges and aims in front of us,” Neville said.
“It’s a better atmosphere around the training ground and everyone seems to be a bit happier,” added Miami midfielder Robert Taylor. “But it can only last as long as we keep trying our best every game, keep on performing.”
