Bad news for Inter Miami. Forward Leo Campana’s calf injury worse than expected

Inter Miami started the second week of the season with bad news.

Forward Leo Campana, who injured his left calf in training last week and missed the season-opening win against Montreal, will be out longer than expected.

The team announced on Tuesday that the Ecuadorean striker, one of the centerpieces of the team’s attack, is out indefinitely and will be evaluated “week to week,” suggesting he will miss Saturday’s home game against Philadelphia and likely beyond.

Campana was Miami’s second-leading scorer last season with 11 goals in 26 games, including a flurry of six goals during a nine-game span last April and May. He made history by scoring the first hat trick in club history in Inter Miami’s home win against the New England Revolution on April 9.

Campana, who joined the team on loan from English club Wolves, played so well he supplanted Argentine star Gonzalo Higuain in the starting lineup. But he struggled with injuries the second half of the season and Higuain came back to lead the team with 16 goals.

With Higuian retired, the club has high hopes for Campana and in January exercised the option for his permanent transfer from Wolves. He signed with Miami through the end of the 2025 season, with an option to extend the contract for 2026.

Heading into this season, Campana, 22, said he was in the best shape of his life and hungry to get back to scoring goals.

“I changed the way I eat, train, and think,” Campana said two weeks ago. “Last year I had a couple of injuries, and I know this year will be different. My goal is the play the most games in the year because then I can score a lot of goals and help the team. I am very excited and motivated for this year.”

Coach Phil Neville and his staff were counting on the partnership of Campana and former MLS MVP Josef Martinez to produce a lot of goals. For now, somebody else will have to step up.

“We were all a little bit frustrated because we planned the whole game plan around Leo and Josef [Martinez] playing,” Neville said after the Montreal game. “We hope he comes back quickly. He’s a big player for us, and if we’re going to be successful, Leo has to play.”

Campana posted on Instagram: “Everything is going to work out exactly how and when it should. There is no need to stress and worry.”

Midfielder Gregore, the team captain, said players have been reaching out to Campana to offer support.

“Leo is a great player. We have a lot of confidence in him and are all talking to him, reminding him it is a long season,” Gregore said after practice Tuesday. “We want him to recuperate 100 percent. Mentally, he is a little sad because he wanted to play, but we have ensured him we will be waiting when he comes back. We have a lot of good players who can play at Leo’s level, but I am rooting for his quick recovery because he is an important player for us.”

Tickets for Saturday’s game against Philadelphia are available at intermiamicf.com

▪ Note: Inter Miami goalkeeper Drake Callender and defender Serhiy Kryvtsov were named to the MLS Team of the Matchday for their strong performances in the 2-0 season-opening win over CF Montreal. In his debut, Kryvtsov, the Ukrainian center back, played 90 minutes, helped the team record a shutout and scored a goal. He also won 80 percent of his duels. Callender made six saves.