Tag: MLS

Luis Suarez bagged his fifth goal of the season as Inter Miami were held to a 1-1 draw against New York City FC in Major League Soccer (MLS) on Saturday.

Former Barcelona and Liverpool star Suarez glanced in a Julian Gressel free kick in the 15th minute to fire Miami into the lead at the Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale.

But Miami’s hopes of securing all three points were thwarted by a dogged New York performance, which got its reward when Costa Rica international Alonso Martinez equalised on 34 minutes.

Miami, thrashed 4-0 against New York Red Bulls in their last outing, created a string of clear chances after the City leveller but were frustrated by a superb performance from goalkeeper Matthew Freese.

Freese pulled off several fine saves, including a brilliant one-handed block from Suarez in the 80th minute as Miami pressed for an equaliser.

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Miami, once again without the injured Lionel Messi, remained in second place in the Eastern Conference following the draw, one point behind leaders Cincinnati.

Miami coach Gerardo Martino — who had lambasted his team after last week’s drubbing by the New York Red Bulls — praised his side’s performance.

“In nine months here, I’ve never been disappointed in a game like I was last Saturday,” Martino said. “Today, what the team did was very commendable. They played well and created many scoring chances.”

Martino, meanwhile, said Messi’s fitness was still being evaluated as Miami prepares for Wednesday’s CONCACAF Champions Cup quarter-final first-leg game with Mexican side Monterrey. Messi has not played since suffering a strained hamstring two weeks ago.

“We will evaluate it day by day and make a decision on Tuesday,” Martino said. “Wednesday’s game is very important but we have to think about the entire year, not just one game.”

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Lionel Messi created both goals as Inter Miami made a winning start to the new Major League Soccer (MLS) season with a 2-0 victory over Real Salt Lake on Wednesday.

The Argentine World Cup winner, who played the entire game, put aside any concerns about his early season fitness with an excellent performance for the bookmakers’ title favourites.

“He looked loose, fine and showed a lot of speed,” coach Gerardo Martino said of Messi, who missed the back end of last season for Inter Miami with injuries and was also sidelined for part of the pre-season.

The other three members of Miami’s former Barcelona quartet, debutant Luis Suarez, midfielder Sergio Busquets and left-back Jordi Alba, all started in front of a capacity crowd.

Against a cautious Salt Lake side, Messi went close to opening the scoring in the 18th minute with a curling free-kick from 30 yards out which was headed off the line by Justen Glad.

He then brought huge cheers from the crowd when, on the edge of the box, his route was blocked by a player down on the floor, but he chipped the ball over him and let loose a shot which was blocked.

But Miami got in front when Spaniard Sergio Busquets found Messi and the eight-times Ballon d’Or winner cleverly slipped the ball through to Finnish forward Robert Taylor, whose low shot beat RSL keeper Zac MacMath.

The goalkeeper should have kept the effort out but it was a goal which forced the visitors to open up after the interval and their more aggressive approach caused Inter some problems.

Cristian Arango blasted a half-chance high over the bar for Salt Lake and then, after Busquets sloppily gave the ball away, Andres Gomez burst goalwards but the Colombian winger fired wide.

The Utah side should have made more of the space they found as Miami struggled in the early stages of the second half but paid the price for a lack of precision.

Sensing his team needed another goal or two to make sure of the points, Messi upped his work rate and began to take control of the game.

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Dropping deeper to collect the ball, he launched several attacks with his own swift bursts forward allied with his trademark close control.

The 36-year-old weaved down the inside left channel to find space for a cross to the back post to Julian Gressel but the German put his effort wide from the tight angle.

Then Lionel Messi burst again from deep and found Suarez who picked out Diego Gomez and the Paraguayan midfielder buried his shot low into the far corner to make it 2-0.

That trio almost combined again for a third with Messi slipping to Gomez who then served Suarez but the Uruguayan’s effort was saved by the outstretched leg of MacMath.

Martino was delighted to see two of the lesser heralded members of his cast on target.

“This is what should happen with a team. Normally Luis and Leo would be the ones most associated with the goal, but the fact that Robert and Diego have converted and (Messi and Suarez) have been the assistants is always a positive thing,” he said.

The former Argentina, Mexico and Barcelona coach said he was sure that Messi and Suarez would be able to recapture some of the magic they had shown during their seasons at the Camp Nou.

“They know each other so well but we have to find that partnership that worked already in Barcelona,” he said.

For Taylor, who enjoyed a rich spell of form immediately after Lionel Messi joined the club and was a key part of the team which won the Leagues Cup, it was a positive opening to the campaign.

“It’s the start we wanted, I mean, there’s still some things that we need to work on. Obviously, it’s the first game of the season, but the positive thing is the three points and we’ll build on this,” he said.

Inter Miami return to action on Sunday at Los Angeles Galaxy.

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Lionel Messi and Inter Miami get the new Major League Soccer (MLS) season underway on Wednesday with pressure on the Argentine star to deliver trophies for his club and more eyeballs on the league.

The World Cup winner joined Inter from Paris Saint Germain in mid-July, the biggest name ever to move to MLS and his signing caused a massive spurt in interest in American soccer.

The eight-times and current Ballon d’Or winner, made an instant impact, leading Miami to the Leagues Cup title, packing stadiums and massively increasing subscriptions to Apple TV’s MLS Season Pass broadcast package.

But the excitement waned as Lionel Messi struggled to maintain his fitness in the face of a hectic schedule and Inter Miami were unable to overcome their poor early season results and make the playoffs.

Then Inter’s decision to undertake a gruelling overseas pre-season tour backfired with Messi and the team booed in Hong Kong after the star sat out a high-profile friendly due to injury.

Poor performances added to the sense that money-spinning trips to El Salvador, Saudi Arabia and Japan had been a mis-step for a team looking to hit the ground running this season.

A long and busy season awaits for Messi and his team-mates who as well as competing in MLS, have qualified for the regional CONCACAF Champions Cup.

Miami will also aim to defend their Leagues Cup title — against Mexican as well as MLS opposition — and all those challenges come in a summer which will include Argentina’s bid for the Copa America in the USA.

Messi has been joined in Miami by another veteran striker in Uruguayan Luis Suarez, making up a quartet of former Barcelona players with midfielder Sergio Busquets and left-back Jordi Alba.

No MLS team has ever been able to draw on players of such pedigree and experience and with that comes the expectation that they will land the club’s first MLS title.

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Lionel Messi is well used to such pressure but it is a new sensation for some of the younger players in Gerardo Martino’s squad.

Shanyder Borgelin, the 22-year-old striker who scored in last week’s home friendly against Argentine club Newells Old Boys, says the team can cope with the high expectations.

“That’s expected when you have the greatest player in the world, four of the greatest players in the world, but I think we’re ready,” he told the Miami Herald.

“We are all called up to a big task. I definitely think the (preseason) losses and everything that comes with that made us a lot stronger,” he added.

Miami kick-off their campaign on Wednesday at home to Real Salt Lake with the rest of the league getting underway on Saturday.

Defending champions Columbus Crew start their title defense at home to Atlanta United with their French coach Wilfried Nancy looking to maintain the momentum of a playoff campaign which ended in victory over Los Angles FC.

LAFC, the 2022 MLS Cup winners, host Western Conference rivals the Seattle Sounders in the biggest clash of the opening weekend.

LAFC have lost four regular starters from last season’s team including Italian Giorgio Chiellini, who has retired.

But Steve Cherundolo’s side have added a World Cup winner of their own with France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris joining from Tottenham Hotspur.

Top-scorer Denis Bouanga remains with the club despite reports he could head back to France but the future of the team’s talismanic Mexican forward Carlos Vela remains unclear.

The 34-year-old Vela is a free agent after his contract with the club was not yet renewed.

There are some new faces on the bench with former Aston Villa manager Dean Smith taking charge at Charlotte and Phil Neville, the former Manchester United player and ex-Inter Miami boss now at the Portland Timbers.

The opening games are set to be officiated by replacement referees after talks over a new collective deal between the refs union and the league’s Professional Referees Organization broke down.

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Inter Miami superstar Lionel Messi returned to the starting lineup for the MLS club on Thursday in a 1-1 home draw with his Argentine boyhood club, Newell’s Old Boys.

It was an emotional match for the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, who supported Old Boys as a youth and played for them from 1995 to 2000 before joining Barcelona.

Messi was removed in the 60th minute, replaced by 22-year-old American Lawson Sunderland, but he delighted home fans ahead of next week’s start of the 2024 MLS campaign and Inter coach Gerardo Martino for his quality performance.

“I spoke to him after the game and he was fine. We had talked about playing between 45 and 60 minutes,” the Argentine coach said.

The 36-year-old striker, who sparked Argentina to the 2022 World Cup title, returned to Miami’s starting 11 after fighting through a groin injury that caused him to sit out a friendly in Hong Kong earlier this month.

Messi came off the bench in a later Inter Miami match in Japan but was back among the starters for the MLS club’s final pre-season match and in healthy form.

After a scoreless first half, Inter Miami grabbed a 1-0 lead on Shanyder Borgelin’s goal in the 64th minute.

The 22-year-old Haitian forward leapt high over a defender to nod home a perfect corner kick from Finnish midfielder Robert Taylor.

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Newell’s equalized on Argentine midfielder Franco Martin Diaz’s goal in the 83rd minute, a blast into the bottom right corner from the heart of the box.

It was an important night for other Argentine talent on Inter, and Martino.

“For many of us who have a very strong bond with Newell’s it was a special and nice game, a friendly to enjoy,” Martino said.

Mauricio Larriera, Newell’s coach, and the Old Boys felt much the same.

“Emotions had to be managed, something very important in these cases because ultimately it’s a football match,” Larriera said.

“In the case of Lionel Messi, all the boys were happy and with that sense of Argentine belonging, it was necessary to dose and manage not only the energy but also the emotional part.”

Inter Miami will play host to Real Salt Lake on Wednesday in the MLS regular-season opener after a global pre-season tour that saw the team struggle with injuries but ultimately build confidence for the upcoming season, Messi’s first full campaign with the Florida squad.

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There will be no Hollywood ending to Lionel Messi’s first season in Major League Soccer (MLS) after his Inter Miami team were eliminated from contention for the playoffs after a 1-0 defeat at home to FC Cincinnati on Saturday.

DC United also missed out on a spot in the post-season and immediately announced that their English manager, former Manchester United star Wayne Rooney, was leaving his post by “mutual agreement”.

Messi returned from injury as a substitute in the 55th minute but Cincinnati, who have earned top seed in the playoffs, grabbed the win with a goal from Argentine Alvaro Barreal.

Messi made little impact on the field and although he had two free-kick opportunities within his shooting range, both his efforts sailed harmlessly wide.

“I could see that he was lacking football (game time),” said Miami head coach Gerardo Martino.

“The injury is fine, he doesn’t have any problems, but (his performance was) logical because in recent times he has played very little and it could happen that he is lacking in rhythm, which is also why he only played 32 or 33 minutes,” he added.

With other results going against Miami, Messi’s side were left next to bottom of the Eastern Conference, seven points off the last playoff spot with just two games remaining.

Messi had played just 37 minutes for his club since September 3, having returned with an injury from international duty with Argentina last month.

Without him Miami struggled, paying the price for their successful run to the Leagues Cup title in August when Messi lit up the tournament and collected his first trophy since joining the club in July.

Saturday’s loss was the second straight for Miami following their 4-1 crushing at Chicago on Wednesday and Martino’s team have won just once in their last six MLS games.

Messi had played in the only win in that stretch, coming off in the first half of their 4-0 win over bottom club Toronto.

After the Leagues Cup triumph in Nashville on August 19, there was talk of Miami adding two more trophies this season but, without Messi, they lost their US Open Cup final to Houston and then faded out of contention in the league.

“Honestly, I expected the season to be exactly the opposite of what happened,” said Martino, who took over just before Messi’s arrival.

“My expectations were to put the group together, shape it football-wise, not transcend too much in the Leagues Cup, compete well in the Cup (US Open Cup) and qualify for the playoffs, but it was exactly the opposite as it usually happens when a coach thinks something,” he said.

“Out of three possible tournaments we have won one, it is a very important fact for us because the league has 28 other teams. Houston and we won, whoever wins the league will be the third winner and there will be 25 others who will not have won. From that point of view, we’re happy,” he said.

Miami’s final two games are both against Charlotte with the last on the road on October 21. It remains to be seen if Messi, who has been called up for Argentina’s upcoming World Cup qualifiers, will feature.

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Lionel Messi is suffering from “muscle fatigue” and will not be rushed back, Inter Miami coach Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino said on Saturday after his team’s playoff hopes suffered a blow with a 5-2 thrashing at Atlanta United.

Messi and his former Barcelona team-mate Jordi Alba both sat out the game with Martino saying it would have been “very reckless” for the Argentine to play in Atlanta.

Martino said that his focus was on having his team ready for the September 27th final of the US Open Cup when Miami host Houston as they look for their second trophy of the season.

“They will train tomorrow (Sunday) and we will see day by day. Nothing changes our outlook on how he (Messi) will train. We have no urgency,” said the former Barcelona and Argentina coach.

Miami faces Toronto, the only team below them in the Eastern Conference, at home in MLS action on Wednesday.

“If he is well and confident he can get to play and if this doesn’t happen he will wait a few more days,” Martino said.

Miami’s loss was their first in 12 games in all competitions since Messi and Spanish pair Alba and Sergio Busquets joined the team in July.

The defeat makes it tougher for Miami to climb into the top nine in the East which would ensure qualification for the playoffs.

“This defeat hurts us and reduces our chances but it is not decisive,” said Martino, who said the US Open Cup remains a priority.

“The final is one game. It’s very tempting to go for a title,” Martino said.

“We started the (playoff) race very far back, we are not going to abandon it but our sights are set on the (Cup final on the) 27th,” he said.

The 36-year-old Messi had also sat out Argentina’s World Cup qualifier against Bolivia in La Paz on Tuesday but he travelled and watched his team-mates from the bench.

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MIAMI: Lionel Messi and Inter Miami face the MLS champions as their bid to make the playoffs takes them to Los Angeles on Sunday.

Los Angeles FC are second in the Western Conference and represent one of the toughest tests for a Miami team that are 10 points outside of the playoff places with 10 games remaining.

Miami’s attempt to surge into the post-season, after a winless run of 11 games in MLS before Messi’s arrival left them rock bottom of the league, suffered a blow on Wednesday when they were held to a goalless draw at home to Nashville.

That disappointing result came after a 2-0 win at New York Red Bulls last Saturday in Messi’s first outing in the regular season.

“We have tunnel vision on our goal, which is making the playoffs, so this feels like a loss, but we’re just going to keep moving forward,” said Canadian defender Kamal Miller after Wednesday’s draw.

Messi had led Miami to victory in the mid-season Leagues Cup tournament and into the final of the US Open Cup and has already scored 11 goals in all competitions.

But he was well below his best against Nashville, raising concerns about whether the intense schedule since his debut has taken a toll.

“We got a little too accustomed to titles, finals, winning in New York, but we have to keep going because a lot can still happen,” said Argentine coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino.

LAFC are seven points behind Western Conference leaders St.Louis City but are expected to be among the favourites for the MLS Cup again.

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David Beckham believes Lionel Messi will need time to adapt to Major League Soccer (MLS), even though the standard of play is at a “different level” from the European game.

Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham, the former Manchester United and Real Madrid midfielder, watched Inter Messi take part in his first training session for the club on Tuesday after signing a two-and-a-half-year contract.

Spanish midfielder Sergio Busquets, a former team-mate of Messi’s from Barcelona, also trained at the club’s complex, after signing on Saturday, with former Barcelona and Argentina coach Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino leading the session.

“Leo’s still going to need, no matter how good he is, no matter what his stature is, he and Sergio are going to need time to adapt no matter,” said the Englishman.

“They might surprise us, we might start winning every single game, but we have to be patient,” he said.

Miami’s fans may need to show that patience at Friday’s Leagues Cup game against Mexicans Cruz Azul, with Beckham saying the Argentine may not necessarily start.

“Leo will play some part of the game but that will be down to the coach (and) it’ll be down to Leo to decide if he’s ready because we know that he’s been away for a few weeks with his family but he looks sharp, he looks great but he’s going to need time to adapt as well,” said Beckham.

David Beckham was the biggest name to have moved to MLS when he signed for the Galaxy in 2007 when the league had just 13 clubs, compared to 29 today and the standard of play was significantly lower.

But Beckham said that there was one area where nothing had changed.

“One of the similarities will be, when I came, all of a sudden, everyone thought: LA are going to win everything. LA are going to win every game, 7-0, 8-0, and that’s it, nobody else is gonna win anything,” he said.

But despite Beckham’s arrival, the Galaxy weren’t even able to make the playoffs in his first two seasons.

LA finished next to bottom of the Western Conference in 2007 and 2008 but then in 2009 were beaten finalists before winning MLS Cup in 2011 and 2012.

“Those first two years for me, it was a challenge, getting used to everything, bringing the club and the league to be a little bit more professional, but things changed very quickly,” he said.

“I started enjoying the soccer a lot more, not just because we were winning (but) because I could see the change that was being made — the academy stuff coming into each of the clubs… we’re now at a stage where things are definitely different to how they were in 2007,” he said.

While the standard of MLS is still well below that of the top leagues in Europe, where Lionel Messi has spent his entire club career, several foreign players who joined the league late in their career have found it difficult to thrive.

The frequent travel across time-zones, playing on artificial surfaces at some stadiums, and having team-mates who might not be on the same wavelength or have the expected technical ability, are some of the challenges players have faced.

David Beckham has no doubt that Lionel Messi will be a success but accepts his impact on the field might not be as instant as some may be anticipating.

“It’s a different style of football, it’s  a slightly different level to what obviously some of the players that are coming in are used to,” he said.

“But at the end of the day, this level of football in this country now is a good level, it’s a great level, so there are going to be moments where we have to be patient,” he said.

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Lionel Messi got down to business with his new Inter Miami team-mates on Tuesday, taking part in his first full training session with the Major League Soccer club.

The Argentine World Cup winner took to the club’s training field at 9:00am local time with temperatures already above 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit).

Along with his former Barcelona team-mate, Spanish midfielder Sergio Busquets, who signed for Miami on Sunday, Lionel Messi was given a ‘tunnel’ welcome from his new team.

The players lined up opposite each other and Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets ran through the ‘tunnel’ to applause and slaps on the back from the other Inter Miami players.

Chatting with Venezuelan international Josef Martinez, likely to be his strike partner for Miami, Messi was watched by over 200 media representatives who had attended the session as he did some basic drills.

Miami’s training sessions had barely attracted double figure attendance from the media prior to Messi’s arrival.

Lionel Messi had been unveiled to the club’s supporters at the stadium on Sunday at a celebratory event alongside Miami co-owner David Beckham and his first game is scheduled for Friday.

Inter Miami, who are ranked last in the 29-team MLS, face Mexican club Cruz Azul in the opening game of the new Leagues Cup, a tournament style competition featuring all top-flight teams from MLS and Mexico’s Liga MX.

It is not clear yet if Lionel Messi will start that game or make a cameo appearance from the substitute’s bench and his coach, fellow Argentine Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino has asked for patience while the 36-year-old builds up his fitness.

After watching his side’s winless streak extend to 11 games, the recently appointed Martino left open the possibility that Messi might not be ready to go just yet.

“We look to the future with hope (given) that the best player in the world will play for our team, but also with the patience that we have to have so that he can get in good physical shape and can play at the right moment,” he said.

Lionel Messi played his last competitive game for Paris Saint-Germain in the French league on June 4 and then turned out for Argentina against Australia in a friendly in Beijing on June 15, scoring after just 79 seconds in a 2-0 win.

Unlike in most of Europe, MLS’s season runs from late February to the end of October, followed by the playoffs and the championship game, MLS Cup, on December 9.

Despite sitting rock bottom of the Eastern Conference with the worst recording in the league, Inter Miami are not mathematically ruled out of contention for the playoffs but it would take a huge impact from the seven-times Ballon d’Or winner to turn their season around.

Lionel Messi is the biggest star to join an American club since Brazilian legend Pele moved to the New York Cosmos in 1975.

MLS hope that his presence will massively boost interest in the league, which features clubs from the USA and Canada, and generate fresh revenue for their broadcast deal with Apple TV.

MLS’s 10-year deal with Apple TV, worth a reported $2.5 billion, will allow fans in 107 countries to watch Messi in action via a subscription.

On Sunday, MLS Commissioner Don Garber said the league, which is already broadcast in Spanish and with some games in French, was considering introducing other languages to broaden the appeal of the broadcasts and cash in on interest in Messi.

“I think you’ll see more and more multiple languages on Apple. That’s the uniqueness of the technology. We’re looking at launching other languages as early as next year,” he said.

“I think there will be more opportunity for us to be very, very targeted to specific audiences,” he said.

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Cristiano Ronaldo on Tuesday, asserted that Saudi League “is better” than the Major League Soccer (MLS) and that he has no plans to play in the United States nor to return to Europe.

Ronaldo spoke to the media after featuring in Al-Nassr’s 0-5 defeat to La Liga side Celta Vigo in the pre-season friendly in Portugal.

The Portuguese superstar, when asked about whether he is planning to join his great rival Lionel Messi in the United States, said Saudi League is better and it will continue to grow with the arrival of more prominent names.

“The Saudi league is better than MLS,” said Ronaldo.

“Now all the players are coming here,” Ronaldo said. “In one year, more top players will come to Saudi Arabia.”

“I opened the way to the Saudi league, and now all the players are coming here.”

Notably, numerous top players made a move to Saudi Arabia after Cristiano Ronaldo’s shocking yet huge deal with Al Nassr estimated at 200 million euros.

Top amongst them was Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema, who left Real Madrid at the end of the 2022-23 season and joined Ronaldo’s Al Nassr’s rival club Al-Ittihad.

Furthermore, N’Golo Kante from Chelsea also joined Benzema in Al-Ittihad.

Notably, Ronaldo’s great rival Lionel Messi had also been in talks with Saudi Arabia prior to his deal with MLS club Inter Miami.

The Argentine World Cup winner inked the deal with Inter Miami this week on a contract which binds him to stay with the club till 2025.

Following his deal, “America’s number 10” Lionel Messi was unveiled at Inter Miami in a glittering ceremony at Miami’s 20,000-capacity stadium, which was close to full despite a huge thunderstorm just before the event.

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