Tata Martino has named Inter Miami’s best player last night against the Vancouver Whitecaps with Lionel Messi absent from the fixture.
The Herons extended their unbeaten run to ten games with the Florida franchise securing a 2-1 win in British Columbia, with the game overshadowed by the absence of Messi for Inter Miami.
The Argentine international, as well as Luis Suarez and Sergio Busquets, did not embark on the 13-hour roundtrip from Miami to Vancouver with the trio rested for this week’s double-header against Atlanta United and St. Louis City SC.
And Martino was impressed with one player in particular on last night.
Robert Taylor praised after match-winning performance for Inter Miami vs Vancouver
Speaking to the press after the win, Martino was full of praise for Robert Taylor’s performance against Vancouver, with the Finnish forward scoring the opener and assisting Leonardo Campana for the winning goal.
With no Messi or Suarez, Taylor took the reigns in a big way on Saturday as the 29-year-old winger led the attacker in impressive fashion against Vancouver, with Inter Miami coming away with a deserved three points.
Indeed, Taylor has already been tasked by Martino to step up with Messi competing in the Copa America next month, and the forward showed his quality and then some last night in Canada.
Martino said: “When we prepared the game we knew that Robert’s position could be decisive, and that’s precisely what happened. We ended up winning it on his side, and he was the most important player on the field”
Taylor showed why he can become Inter Miami’s star man next month
With a fantastic goal and a well-taken assist under his belt, Taylor showed why he can become Inter Miami’s star player next month when the likes of Messi and Suarez are away on international duty.
The forward dominated Vancouver down the left-wing in emphatic fashion as Taylor laid down the mark for what’s potentially to come from the Inter Miami attacker in the coming weeks.
And if the Finnish international can repeat last night’s performance in upcoming games, Inter Miami will be more than fine with Messi being away on international duty with Argentina.