Bienvenidos A Miami
A few days ago the long rumored Inter Miami signing of Gonzalo Higuain became official. I could take this blogs in many different directions like; Why sign Higuain when you have a DP striker and number one SuperDraft pick at striker? Or, who benefits and hurts the most from Higuain’s arrival in South Beach? But I have decided to take this nice and easy for my first blog back in a few weeks. Will Higuain be a success for Beckham’s club and how will can happen?
The move to sign Higuain is a good move on its own of name and face recognition for the club. David Beckham and Inter Miami ownership had promised big names to the team, and Higuain is a pretty big name. A guy who has won the Europa League, Serie A, La Liga, been a member of the Serie A Team of the Year, and countless more awards. They delivered on the name and recognition. But at 32 years old, does he make Inter Miami and instant contender along with the recent addition of Blaise Matuidi?
In my personal opinion, no, it doesn’t. And it truly isn’t Higuain that I say hurts them. It’s the construction and decision of pieces added to their roster. Higuain will come into MLS and he will score goals. But I don’t think he comes close to that 23 goal mark he hit in 2017/2018. I think the adjustment to playing in the U.S., the larger travel distances, and the pure physicality of the league will lead to a decent adjustment period for the Argentinian international. I think we could see him finish this 2020 season (assuming he plays in ~10 games) with about 6 goals and an assist. I think in a full season (hopefully) in 2021 we could see Higuain score about 15 goals and 4 assists in a season.
I know that many people, including some of the folks at mlssoccer.com, are high on the arrival of Higuain. Don’t get me wrong so am I! The level and recognition of players to MLS only goes up and that is amazing for this league. But Higuain does not come into MLS and instantly become a more threatening goal scorer than; Josef, Carlitos, Rossi, or even Lodiero. We are going to see some big moments for Gonzalo, we are going to see some BANGERS from the Argentinian, and I think we will see Inter Miami as a playoff team come 2021. I have my doubts, but I am a guy who believes in the players first. I believe in the mental fortitude of Gonzalo and that he will be able to adjust and help lead his team to some bigger games ahead… just not in 2020.
