Kamal Miller says Inter Miami must go “back to the drawing board”

For the first time since his arrival, Lionel Messi was kept quiet and Miami struggled in a goalless draw with Nashville SC in MLS.

William GittinsWillGittUpdate: Aug 31st, 2023 07:33 EDT

MEGAN BRIGGSAFP

Inter Miami’s 0-0 home draw with Nashville SC has put a major dent in their playoff hopes as they approach the final stretch of the MLS season.

For the first time since his move to Miami, Lionel Messi was kept off the scoresheet and the team struggled to create many clear-cut openings. Nashville packed the midfield, prevented Messi finding space between the lines, and left DRV PNK Stadium with a well-earned point.

Speaking after the game, Miami defender Kamal Miller admitted that they needed to learn how to win games without relying on the talents of their Number 10.

“Credit to Nashville, they executed their game plan pretty well,” Miller told reporters in the post-game. “Now it’s on us to go back to to the drawing board and p out how to break down these teams.”

Gracias por el apoyo de siempre #LaFamiliaIMCF 💗 pic.twitter.com/bvWQ5g0adr

— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) August 31, 2023

In his first nine games with Inter Miami, Messi scored 11 goals and provided five assists for his teammates.

Inter Miami left frustrated with sub-par performance

Miller was named Man of the Match for Miami on Wednesday evening but the Canadian defender was far from happy with the team’s performance.

At one point he was forced to make a goal-saving challenge and he let out a shout after clearing the ball to safety. In the post-game, he was asked if it was a cry of euphoria or frustration.

“It was a bit of everything,” Miller replied. “Frustration that we hadn’t scored yet, frustration that we were giving them chances.”

Kamal 👏 Miller 👏@KMillz_00 coming up big with a great tackle.#MIAvNSH pic.twitter.com/5vrWNBXPPx

— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) August 31, 2023

“It was a game where we were just moving the ball side-to-side, trying to make chances, so the crowd wasn’t really that into it.”

He added: “It wasn’t as exciting as our games usually are, so [the shout] was partly to get them going too.”

Are Inter Miami and Lionel Messi tired?

For the Inter Miami players, the last six weeks must feel like a whirlwind. The arrival of Messi, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba was followed by a sharp upturn in form that saw them lift the Leagues Cup, their first ever trophy. They then played three games in a week as they made it to the final of the US Open Cup and returned to MLS action.

But despite this, Miller insisted that Miami are not feeling the effects of that hectic schedule.

“It’s challenging, but I wouldn’t use the word ‘tired’. This is exactly what we signed up for,” he explained.

“We want to be in all the competitions,” Miller continued. “We would have been miserable if we were knocked out of the Leagues Cup and hadn’t played for a month.”