Inter Miami stars struggle through ‘two-ball rondo’ training drill

Inter Miami have had a busy start to the 2024 campaign. They opened the new MLS season against Real Salt Lake and have already began their CONCACAF Champions Cup journey with a knock-out tie against Nashville SC.

With the games coming thick and fast Tata Martino’s side have had little time on the training field so far this year. The Herons played on Sunday evening against CF Montreal and return to Chase Stadium for their second leg against Nashville on Wednesday.

The Herons have to make the most of their time between matches and were recently seen testing themselves with an intense new practice drill. Jordi Alba, Leonardo Campana, Israel Boatwright and Robert Taylor took part in a ‘two-ball rondo’, a version of a training exercise common to most soccer teams.

A ‘rondo’ involves players forming a circle and attempting to keep the ball away from the player, or players, in the middle. This version - with two balls between the three players in possession - looks substantially more difficult and the Miami players struggle to complete the drill.

The session took place last week, ahead of Inter Miami’s MLS fixture against Montreal. The Herons may have lost on Sunday evening but Jordi Alba and Campana were both on the scoresheet and Taylor looked dangerous. The ‘two-ball rondo’ may not have been a big success on the training field but it certainly seems to have had a positive effect on the Inter Miami stars who took part in the session.

Lionel Messi was absent for Sunday’s disappointing 3-2 home defeat to Montreal, the Argentine rested ahead of the CONCACAF Champions Cup decider against Nashville. The 36-year-old will be carefully managed during his time in Miami, missing training sessions and even games when required, to ensure that the team can benefit from his enduring brilliance at key points of the season.