Inter Miami sit four points clear at the top of the Supporters’ Shield standings, a feat made even more impressive given that Lionel Messi hasn’t played in MLS since the start of June.
The forward has missed the 11 games for the Herons due to the Copa America and an ankle injury suffered during the final, with Messi not named in Argentina’s squad for their upcoming FIFA World Cup qualifiers in September.
With Messi close to returning to training, though, Inter Miami will soon have their superstar attacker back in their ranks heading into the final matches of the regular MLS season, where the 37-year-old being fit for the play-offs will be huge.
Yet another player could be just as important for Inter Miami than Messi.
David Martinez named as important for Inter Miami as Messi
Speaking on MLS Extratime, expert Matt Doyle noted that Inter Miami could win the Supporters’ Shield due to the signing of David Martinez, with the defender providing cover that the Herons had needed all summer.
Doyle said on Inter Miami’s Supporters Shield chances: “This is what we’ve seen a lot in this league over the past seven, eight years in the teams that really want the Shield, they go after it in May, June, July, and they create a little bit of a buffer there. We saw the Revs do it in 2021 when they set the record.
“That was maybe the best example of that because they got out of the gates slow, and then they just blazed through the late spring and summer. That was when Miami was supposed to lose it. That’s when Messi was gone, Copa America, Suarez was gone, Mati Rojas was gone, yet they ended up going nine and one without Messi, they’ve been excellent.
“I think they’re going to end up playing their best soccer of the season down the stretch, because I think David Martinez, he moves the needle for them, as long as he doesn’t get any more stupid red cards.”
Martinez will be key for the Herons in the final months of the season
Signing a left-sided defender who is good on the ball was the priority for Inter Miami this summer, and the Florida giants did just that in the form of Martinez on loan from River Plate.
Although the defender saw red in Leagues Cup action, there’s been enough in Martinez’s first few games with Inter Miami to suggest that the center-back will be a good fit for Tata Martino.
And with a handful of MLS games remaining, Martinez will be key in the final months of the season for Inter Miami, with the Paraguay international a player who could push the Herons to glory in MLS Cup.