Inter Miami CF coach Diego Alonso: "I am convinced we will play again this season"

Not only has football come to a complete standstill due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, but even simple forms of communication see new challenges. "We've been in contact with the players via telephone and teleconferences," Inter Miami CF head coach Diego Alonso said on a conference call with the media this week. 

The club was supposed to play their home opener on Mar. 14 against the LA Galaxy. That game was postponed indefinitely, alongside all other games in Major League Soccer as authorities in the United States and Canada try to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus. 

Article Beckham's Inter Miami to kick off Click Here "Without a doubt, at the level of professional sports, it is an obstacle, but at the moment, the health of the whole community is much more important, the health of each of us, of our families," Alonso said. "We fully agree with what MLS says, with the break. We must work with the team within the rules we have right now and with what the authorities are asking us."

"Of course, there was some disappointment," goalkeeper Luis Robles said. "It was going to be a very powerful moment for the club and the entire community for soccer to be back in South Florida. When you look at the bigger picture, you understand that there are bigger things going on then soccer right now."

Midfielder Wil Trapp underlined that right now, the most important thing is to stay home. "Thanks to those who are on the frontline," Trapp said. "They are doing amazing work, and we have to do our part, stay home, then we will get over this, and when the day comes, we will have the home opener." 

When that day comes is still unclear. On Wednesday MLS extended the moratorium on team training sessions until Apr. 3. As the team representative, Robles also sits in on conference calls with Don Garber, and the goalkeeper indicated that there was no plan yet on when the season will return. 

"A lot of it isn't in our hands," Robles said. "The CDC said no gatherings for eight weeks. [The league] wants to respect that and abide by it. From there, they look and see what the deadline looks like: where is the point where we're are not able to play all 34 games, they are looking at every scenario."

Wil Trapp: "Playing behind closed doors would be unprecedented"

Covid-19 MLS Suspended To May 10 Click Here One scenario the league has been looking at is to play behind closed doors. It has been an option that has been heavily discussed among the top leagues in Europe, where television money is a much bigger factor than in MLS. For example, the Premier League and Bundesliga are expected to lose in the region of $800 million should they be unable to finish the season, with a large proportion of the loss coming from miss television revenue. 

In MLS, the scenario is a bit different; here, a large proportion of the income comes from the actual matchday, from ticket sales, concessions, and ad revenues.

"It would be unprecedented to play [behind closed doors]," Trapp said. "If we had to play behind closed doors with no fans, I think, as a player, so much of it what we love is to be in the stadium with people supporting us and for that not to happen would be something I would have to wrestle with." 

Despite all the doubts, head coach Alonso is convinced that there will be games in 2020. "I am convinced that yes, we will play again this season," Alonso said. "We will be finishing the 2020 season, surely we will play it and finish it. For the moment we have to wait, but I am convinced that we will play this year and finish the season." 

Working for day X: "We've been monitoring the physical work"

Until then, the big focus for Alonso has been keeping his players fit for day X when MLS and the authorities give the all-clear to play again. Alonso has used telephone and teleconference calls to stay in touch with the players and give them instructions on how to stay fit while working out on their own. 

"We've been monitoring the physical work with the staff, which [have come up with] individual plans, by positions for each footballer," Alonso said. "Through video conferences, we give players individual tasks based on their position." The club has been using GPS chips worn by the players to measure the work done by each individual. 

Nonetheless, training on their own can be difficult and has forced players to think outside the box. For Trapp, for example, this meant that he had to build a home gym. "It is something I always wanted to do anyhow," Trapp said. "This sort of forced me to finally do it."

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Keeper Robles, in the meantime, has found himself working on new aspects of his game. "I am not a runner by any stretch of the imagination and yet there are some guys that live close by and we go out each morning and we run," Robles said. "They're really quick and in better shape then I am. ... But it is motivating and it allows me to work on a part of the game that is often overlooked for goalkeepers."

Alonso had one important message to the players in the time of social distancing. "To give them affection and give them assurances that if they have problems not to hesitate to talk to us, talk to the club," Alonso said. "Whether on a personal or family level, or if they have any health problems, to be vigilant so we can help."