Inter Miami secured their place in the MLS play-offs after a 2-0 win against FC Cincinnati on Saturday.
Luis Suarez enjoyed a record-breaking performance with the Herons as the Florida franchise became one of the quickest teams in MLS history to qualify for the post-season, with Inter Miami also gaining a healthy lead in the Supporters’ Shield race.
It was a tense affair at Chase Stadium, though, with Inter Miami going down to ten men in the second-half after Tomas Aviles was dismissed, with Tata Martino sharing what he thought of the incident after the game.
And Kieran Gibbs has now warned Inter Miami that they could have a problem on their hands.
Inter Miami’s discipline questioned after Cincinnati win
Speaking on the Inter Miami Weekly Show, the former Herons defender highlighted how the Florida side’s discipline could become a real issue if Martino doesn’t learn how to put a cap on his players.
Inter Miami lead the yellow card charts in MLS with Aviles’ sending off on Saturday the second the Argentine has seen this season, with the Herons having a real issue with how to keep their discipline in check.
And for Gibbs, this could become a big issue, with the pundit saying: “You have to give the team a huge amount of credit for lasting the rest of the game with ten-men. It’s not easy against teams like Cincinnati, a great effort from them to see that out without conceding, it will give them a lot of confidence.
“I do think there’s a big warning sign with going down to ten-men that the discipline needs to change if we’re to go that step further. This was a big step, but in order to go an lift a trophy, you have to have an almost perfect performance, and the discipline could be the Achilles heel which could let them down.”
Tata Martino knows he could have a big problem on his hands
Inter Miami’s discipline has been a big problem for most of the season, with the Herons seemingly going a couple of games before one player is seen red and ejected from the field.
And heading into the post-season, Martino now know he has a problem on his hands with how to address this issue, with Inter Miami in a position where key players can’t be absent due to be suspended.
Indeed, Inter Miami have a few weeks to clean themselves up before the play-offs start, and the Herons know they need to do all they can sort out their act and to ensure they’re not picking up any more pointless red and yellow cards.