Amid all the transfer speculation surrounding Inter Miami CF these days, Josef Martínez and Leonardo Campana provided some stunning evidence Tuesday night that there’s already world-class talent on this team.
Martínez, their superstar Venezuelan striker, scored a 90th-minute scissor-kick golazo that salvaged a 2-2 draw at home against the Columbus Crew. It’s an all-but-guaranteed AT&T 5G Goal of the Matchday nominee that came off an assist from his Ecuadorian striking partner, who also found the back of the net for the Herons with a towering header in the 57th minute.
With Miami looking to climb up the Eastern Conference standings, Martínez and Campana provide a formidable foundation up front to build upon should certain players join the club in the upcoming days and weeks. To be more specific, those like Lionel Messi – who last month expressed his intention to join the Herons – and fellow FC Barcelona legend Sergio Busquets.
It’s a scenario that fills Campana with excitement.
“It’s a dream,” the Ecuadorian international said of possibly sharing the field with the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner and 2022 FIFA World Cup champion with Argentina.
“I think everyone who’s here grew up watching him play,” Campana added. “I played hooky from school to watch his games in the Champions League… I think anybody would want to play with the best player in history, you could say. I get goosebumps just talking about him.”
For Campana, who broke a nearly two-month goal-scoring drought, Tuesday’s performance was especially sweet after being left off the Miami starting XI in their 1-1 draw against Austin FC last weekend.
“I don’t think it’s easy for any player to be on the bench,” Campana confessed, while claiming to enjoy sharing attacking duties up top with Martínez.
The 2018 Landon Donovan MLS MVP was initially the odd man out on Matchday 23, starting on the bench before entering in the second half and linking up with Campana for his last-gasp wondergoal. It’s a moment that hearkened memories of Prime Josef during his legendary Atlanta United days.
Martinez’s coach during part of his glory years with the Five Stripes, Gerardo "Tata" Martino, watched the July 4 match from a DRV PNK Stadium suite, awaiting his paperwork to clear before taking over the reins at Miami and being officially reunited with his former star player.
According to interim manager Javier Morales, Martino's tactical vision will be attacking-focused, which is good news for both Martínez and Campana.
“He wants a protagonist team, a team that goes for results," said the Real Salt Lake legend. "He likes to attack, he likes to have the ball.”
For now, Morales tends to prefer using just one No. 9 up top, normally leaving one of the two South Americans on the bench. However, he did admit that could change as soon as Saturday’s visit to D.C. United (7:30 pm ET | MLS Season Pass).
“I’m going to have a problem next game because they both scored,” Morales said. “We’ll plan for Saturday’s game against D.C. and we’ll see if they can play together.”
