MLS
Leo Campana aiming to make it a perfect week at Inter Miami
The Ecuadorian has assumed the responsibility of finding the net for Inter Miami while Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez are away at the Copa América.
Inter Miami have been coping surprisingly well without their star forwards Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez, both on duty with their respective national teams at the Copa América. The Herons have been without the pair for two games so far and have won both.
Two wins from two without Messi and Suárez
One of the players who have been forced to step up while the Argentinean and Uruguay are away is Leonardo Campana. The Ecuadorian striker has been leading the attack flanked by Robert Taylor and Julian Gressel. Inter Miami secured a late win against the Philadelphia Union in Week 19 with a changed side and beat the Columbus Crew by the same scoreline a few days later, with Campana on the scoresheet.
On Saturday, Miami travel to seventh-placed Nashville with the aim of extending their winning run to three games and making it a perfect week - even while their superstars are absent.
In his pre-match press conference, Campana stressed the importance of making it nine points from nine this weekend. “We’re on the right track, we achieved two very important wins - one in Philadelphia and one here against Columbus - one of the best teams in the MLS. We are on a positive path and we have to continue like this, we have three difficult games in the space of a week - another game away from home and we are focused on getting three more points for the cause,” he told reporters on Friday.
Leo Campana’s learning curve
Having been thrust into the spotlight, the responsibility is on Campana to deliver goals for Inter Miami. He has entered Tata Martino’s squad list 18 times this season and started eight games. He agrees that competing for a regular place is turning him into a better player.
“I realize that,” he admits. “During my first year, I had to compete with Gonzalo [Higuain], then with Josef [Martínez] and now with Luis. I have tried to absorb certain things from each one. They have been among the best forwards in the leagues they have played in. I have learned a lot and grown a lot and it has always been a healthy competition, all three are good people and I will always be grateful for everything I have learned from them”.
The Ecuadorian also spoke about the influence that Messi and Suárez have on the rest of the team, both technically and psychologically. “We all know the importance of players like Leo and Luis. They are players who generate a lot of things for you. On the other hand, we also have young players who deliver every time they are given an opportunity to play. Thanks to them, we have been able to get six important points from the last two games,” he explained.
And finally, a word about who is in charge while the big guns are away. “We have players like Gressel,” Campana said. “I also try to support all the boys and they are all there, ready to contribute. We have very committed players who do a great job whenever they get out on the field”.
Inter Miami sit top of the Eastern Conference on 41 points - two points ahead of Cincinnati who have a game in hand. Martino’s team play Nashville at GEODIS Park on Saturday 29 June, with the game getting underway at 7:30 p.m. local time (7:30 p.m. EDT / 5:30 p.m. PDT).