Messi expected to travel to Montreal as Inter Miami resumes MLS play Saturday
'Yes, why not?' Mascherano replied, when asked Friday morning if Messi would be traveling and available for the match.
The coach dismissed any suggestion that the 38-year-old Argentine legend might stay home to rest following four intense Club World Cup matches.
'No, no, no, luckily we had a long week, and that served us well,' Mascherano said. 'We gave them two days off, especially the ones who had played the most minutes, so, yes, Leo is available and barring anything strange happening he will travel.'
That said, Mascherano does plan to do some roster rotation in the coming weeks as Inter Miami has seven games over the next 25 days, including four of the next five on the road.
'Clearly, we have a lot of games coming up, plus all the ones we have already played, so we will need everyone to participate,' he said. 'We'll see how we can manage some roster changes without feeling it too much because I don't like to change six or seven players from one match to the other.'
Missing from Miami's game roster on Saturday will be injured players Yannick Bright, Gonzalo Lujan, and David Ruiz, who practiced separately on Friday and are expected to return soon. Noah Allen and Ian Fray, who were injured during the Club World Cup, were not at training, and are out indefinitely. Goalkeeper Drake Callender continues to recover from surgery for a sports hernia.
Although facing CF Montreal, the last place team in the Eastern Conference, is not as glamorous as facing European champion Paris Saint-Germain, Brazilian power Palmeiras, Porto of Portugal and African champion Al-Ahly, Mascherano and midfielder Telasco Segovia insisted the team enters Saturday's game highly motivated to climb the MLS standings.
Inter Miami has ground to make up, as it slipped from third place to seventh during its Club World Cup break and now sits 11 points behind first-place Philadelphia Union, 10 behind second-place Cincinnati and nine behind third-place Nashville. The top seven qualify for the playoffs, which begin in late October. The eighth and ninth place teams enter a playoff for the final spot.
Inter Miami exceeded expectations in the Club World Cup, getting through the group stage undefeated before a 4-0 loss to PSG in the Round of 16. That success injected the team with confidence and motivation, according to Mascherano and his players.
'In a competition like the Club World Cup, where we were one of the weaker teams, that's the truth, we had a great group stage and then, unfortunately, we had to face the most dangerous opponent in the world,' Mascherano said. 'If we could compete at that level, there is no excuse to not compete in our domestic league. That should be a confidence boost for all our players going forward.
'Against opponents like Porto and Palmeiras, all of us from South America know that is such a strong club with a highly respected coach, and we were 10 minutes from beating them.'
Segovia echoed his coach's sentiments.
'We had a great tournament overall in the Club World Cup and now we shift our attention to the league,' Segovia said. 'We are motivated against Montreal because we want the earn three points, and we want to be in first place in the league. We have a lot of games this month and we want to win them all.
'The level of competition in the Club World Cup was very high and we benefited from that because it let us know that if we play like we did against Porto and Palmeiras, we can win the league.'
Due to its tournament commitments, Miami has played four fewer matches than most of its Eastern Conference rivals and has not played a league match since its 5-1 win over the Columbus Crew in late May. The next stretch of the schedule is jam-packed as the team tries to catch up.
Following the Montreal game, Inter Miami plays at New England on July 9, at home against Nashville on July 12, on the road at Cincinnati July 16, on the road at New York Red Bulls on July 19, and then at home against Cincinnati on July 26.
As if that weren't enough to keep Messi and his teammates busy, the month-long Leagues Cup, which pits MLS vs. Mexico's Liga MX, kicks off in late-July. Miami's opening group stage match is July 29 against Atlas.
'Our motivation now is to compete in our league, and to achieve something this club has been aiming for year after year,' Mascherano said. 'We want to get as far as we can, qualify for the playoffs, be in position to have home field advantage, and from there we'll see what happens at the end of October.'
Meanwhile, Montreal is coming off its first home victory of the season.
Last weekend, Montreal beat New York City FC 1-0. The team was missing Caden Clark (knee), Giacomo Vrioni (elbow), Jalen Neal (ankle), Fabian Herbers (hamstring), Joel Waterman (Gold Cup national team duty) and Olger Escobar (Gold Cup national team duty).
How to watch Inter Miami vs. CF Montreal: The match kicks off at 7:30 p.m.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
35 minutes ago
- New York Times
Al Hilal's Kalidou Koulibaly calls out lack of penalties in Club World Cup loss
Al Hilal defender Kalidou Koulibaly claims 'everybody in the world' saw that the officials should have awarded him two penalties as the Saudi Pro League side lost 2-1 to Fluminense in the quarter-final of the Club World Cup. The Senegal international went to the ground twice in the second half, but referee Danny Makkelie waved his appeals away both times. Advertisement Al Hilal was awarded a penalty in the first half for a trip on Marcos Leonardo, but it was overturned by video assistant referee (VAR). Koulibaly went down from a corner, claiming to have been pulled, and later collapsed to the ground when he felt contact on his heel. The referee did not consult the monitor. 'We made a good game, we wanted to win and we deserved more,' said Koulibaly. 'But at the end of the game, everybody in the world saw it. I don't know why the referee didn't go over to check the VAR two times on me. I don't understand. 'Sometimes we want to accept everything but when you lose like this it is a shame. We did everything in the game and it was the chance of our life. The referee didn't do his job for me, and during the half-time, he came out to speak to us very badly. I don't understand this aggression with the Al Hilal team.' After beating Manchester City in the last 16, Al Hilal's loss to Fluminense came as a disappointment. The former Napoli and Chelsea centre-back found it difficult to accept his team did not have a chance to score from the spot. 'I can understand the penalty in the first half as it is difficult to interpret,' said Koulibaly. 'So I told him I accept it even if I don't agree, but after the two last ones from me, at the corner kick, (it) was incredible. 'If you don't see this as a penalty, I don't know what you see as a penalty. They want us to cooperate with them, but they also have to cooperate with us. When you don't go to check the VAR, I don't understand. He went to check in the first half but he also has to check for the second and third. Koulibaly says there was a disagreement with Makkelie as they came back out of the tunnel. 'Maybe he was a little late at half time, but there are some ways to speak to the players,' Koulibaly said. 'Every referee wants to be helped by the team, but when you speak to us like this, I don't think it's normal. Fluminese want to win, we want to win. They have to accept that we want to win. 'I think when you see the two penalties like this and you lose like this, for me I am very sad. It is not that Fluminese make it difficult, but the world saw it, and we are going home.'
an hour ago
Hércules scores winner in 70th minute, Fluminense beats Al Hilal 2-1 to reach Club World Cup semis
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Hércules came off the bench and scored in the 70th minute to lift Fluminense past Al Hilal 2-1 in a Club World Cup quarterfinal match on Friday. Physical play resulted in a pair of yellow cards against both sides as they vied for scoring chances in the first half in front of a crowd of 43,091 at Camping World Stadium. Fluminense struck first after a poor clearance from Al Hilal allowed Brazillian midfielder Martinelli to find the back of the net. The second half opened with an emphatic response from Al Hilal, which had not lost a match in the tournament. Marcos Leonardo, who scored the winner in a 4-3 surprise victory over Manchester City, scored in the 51st minute to tie the game at 1. Hércules, a halftime substitution, scored the tiebreaker and secured a semifinal round berth for Fluminense. Al Hilal was awarded a penalty kick in the first half, but referee Danny Makkelie overturned the decision after consulting VAR. Fluminense moves on to the semifinal against the winner of the Chelsea-Palmerias match later Friday at Philadelphia. The semifinal match will be held Tuesday at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. 'Once again, we had another great match. It's not for any team to overcome Manchester City, so we knew the challenge. For the better part of the match we were in control. Playing against such a strong opponent you will suffer, and you must learn to do that.' — Fluminense coach Renato Gaúcho. '(The players) put their heart on the pitch. We played five games in 16 days. They gave it their all. We went beyond the best expectations and we did it with our own.' — Al Hilal coach Simone Inzaghi.
Indianapolis Star
an hour ago
- Indianapolis Star
Caitlin Clark doesn't want a minutes restriction, and Fever want 'long-term health'
Caitlin Clark doesn't want to be on a minutes restriction when she plays, and Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White knows that. So, when the Fever host the Los Angeles Sparks at 7 p.m. Saturday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Clark will miss her fifth straight game with a left groin injury. Clark didn't practice at full speed Friday, though she did semi-live shooting workouts and 3-on-3 drills. The thought was, White said, Clark would be evaluated Saturday morning to see if she was fit to play later that night. However, the Fever listed Clark as out on the injury report Friday evening. The Fever (9-8) have won three straight games for the first time all season, notably winning the Commissioner's Cup against the Minnesota Lynx on Tuesday and then Thursday holding the Las Vegas Aces to their fewest points since 2015. 'She's stated she's not a fan of minute restrictions,' White said after practice Friday. 'If there is going to be a minutes restriction, maybe we'll hold her another game. I prioritize her long-term health and wellness and making sure that when she comes back, she's 100%.' Kelsey Mitchell has been particularly sharp with Clark out. Mitchell is averaging 25.8 points over her last four games, and after shooting 41.3% in her first nine games this season, she's shot 52.3% from the field since. The Fever will need that to continue as the Sparks are the second visitor in a five-game homestand. Indiana will hit the road for two before hosting the WNBA All-Star Game on July 19. The Fever have not had forward Damiris Dantas due to Brazilian National Team obligations for the FIBA Women's Americup. Dantas was reportedly injured in the first half of Friday's game against Mexico but, as reported by Roberta F. Rodrigues, Dantas started the third quarter and a Brazilian federation official said there's nothing serious with her ankle. Dantas was expected to miss the Fever's game Saturday as one of four while away. The 6-foot-4 center in 13 Fever games averaged 5 points and 2.8 rebounds in 12 minutes per game off the bench.
