
Inside Inter Miami: Can Messi lead team to a pair of crucial wins before Club World Cup?
They didn't lose. But they didn't win.
Inter Miami rallied from a 3-1 second-half deficit to tie first-place Philadelphia 3-3 on the road.
But was that result enough to snap the club out of its recent struggles?
The latest episode of Inside Inter Miami reviews that match, what went right, what went wrong, who got injured with reaction from head coach Javier Mascherano.
The team has allowed 23 goals in its past eight games, a stretch that includes just one win, and now looks like it will have to press on without Yannick Bright.
Mascherano is on the hot seat with fans, but players such as Noah Allen feel it's the players that are to blame for recent struggles. We'll have reaction from Allen after a recent practice.
And we look at new goalkeeper Will Yarbrough, a dual-U.S. citizen, who was born and raised in Mexico.
And we break down Miami's chance to earn six points this week with home games against last-place Montreal and fifth-place Columbus, which Miami beat 1-0 on the road. It's a critical stretch prior to a seemingly much-needed two-week break for Miami before the FIFA Club World Cup.
▪ Remember, you can watch this show on YouTube and on our site at miamiherald.com. The podcast is available on Spotify, Apple podcasts, and most other platforms where you listen to your pods. Thank you for watching and listening, and enjoy!

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New York Times
23 minutes ago
- New York Times
Sounders protest MLS's Club World Cup player payout cap, backed by MLSPA
Seattle Sounders players took the field ahead of their match against Minnesota United Sunday night wearing protest T-shirts, expressing their disapproval of their potential prize money allocation for the upcoming Club World Cup. The Sounders, along with Inter Miami and – after Saturday night's play-in win over Club América – LAFC, will participate in the tournament, which kicks off on June 14. Advertisement Seattle players warmed up for the match wearing shirts emblazoned with a pair of slogans: 'Club World Ca$h Grab' and 'Fair Share Now.' The Emerald City Supporters, the primary supporters' group of the Sounders, joined the protest as well, chanting the slogans along with a more pointed message: 'you dirty greedy bastards.' All three MLS clubs taking part in the tournament will receive $9.55 million simply for qualifying, the standard allocation set aside by FIFA for any club from Concacaf. That sum grows as teams advance through the tournament, with teams earning $2 million for every win and $1 million for a draw. Simply advancing out of the tournament's group stage would garner another $7.5 million. It is a potentially massive windfall for any MLS team, many of whom lose money every year. Players, though, are only guaranteed a fraction of that prize pool. The collective bargaining agreement between MLS and its players stipulates specific bonus payouts for tournaments that MLS players typically compete in, like the U.S. Open Cup, Concacaf Champions Cup and Leagues Cup. Their share of the prize pool from tournaments which aren't specifically addressed is capped at $1 million. The Club World Cup was still years from being announced when the CBA was ratified in 2021. Player payouts in other leagues vary, and Sounders goalkeeper Stefan Frei addressed the disparity with The Seattle Times in March. 'If you're going to be on the field and playing against an opponent that's making $700,000 for the same appearance, then you're asking yourself, 'Did we earn the right to play in this game?' If so, I'm not asking for $700,000, but it's a big, big, big difference,' Frei said. The MLSPA, the labor union that represents MLS players, released its own statement on Sunday, expressing support for Seattle's cause and touching on long-standing concerns with the physical workload placed on MLS players by the sport's ever-expanding schedule. Advertisement 'FIFA's new tournament piles on to players' ever-increasing workload without regard to their physical well-being. In order to seize this additional calendar territory, FIFA had to commit historic amounts of prize money to secure club and player participation. As a result, MLS will receive an unprecedented windfall. Despite this windfall, the league has refused to allocate a fair percentage of those funds to the players themselves.' The MLSPA and all MLS players stand united with the Seattle Sounders players who tonight demanded a fair share of the FIFA Club World Cup prize money. #FairShareNow #FIFACWC Full statement: — MLSPA (@MLSPA) June 1, 2025 The statement also says that the MLSPA's members have 'privately and respectfully' invited the league to discuss a potential renegotiation of bonus terms for the Club World Cup but says the league has simply referred them to the terms of the CBA. 'It is the players who make the game possible,' read the statement. 'It is the players who are lifting MLS up on the global stage. They expect to be treated fairly and with respect.' The Sounders will play all three of their group games in the Club World Cup at home, against Botafogo, Atlético Madrid and newly crowned UEFA Champions League winner PSG.


USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
MLS players want fair share of Club World Cup prize money. Here's how one club protested.
MLS players want fair share of Club World Cup prize money. Here's how one club protested. Show Caption Hide Caption FIFA Club World Cup will set stage for big things in United States The FIFA Club World Cup is set to take the global stage and two legendary managers explain how it will have an impact on fans and the 2026 World Cup. Sports Seriously Major League Soccer players want more money for participating in the FIFA Club World Cup later this month, but say they have received pushback from the league in their efforts. Seattle Sounders players wore shirts with the phrases 'Club World Cash Grab' and 'Fair Share Now' during pregame warmups Sunday before their match against Minnesota to demand a fair share of the Club World Cup prize money their club will earn during the tournament later this month. Three MLS clubs — Seattle, Lionel Messi's Inter Miami and Los Angeles FC — will represent the league in the tournament, which begins June 14 and will be hosted in the United States. FIFA's Club World Cup boasts a $1 billion prize pool — $475 million disbursed based on performance, and $525 million given to participating teams. The winner will take home at least $125 million. The MLS teams will make at least $9.5 million just for participating, while wins during each stage of the tournament will only drive up the possible earnings. However, MLS players earn 50 percent of money earned from outside tournaments — capped at $1 million, according to the league's collective bargaining agreement. The MLS Players Association released a statement shortly after the Sounders players display. 'The MLSPA and all MLS players stand united with the Seattle Sounders players who tonight demanded a fair share of the FIFA Club World Cup prize money,' the statement read. 'FIFA's new tournament piles on to players' ever-increasing workload without regard to their physical well-being. In order to seize this additional calendar territory, FIFA had to commit historic amounts of prize money to secure club and player participation. As a result, MLS will receive an unprecedented financial windfall. 'Despite this windfall, the league has refused to allocate a fair percentage of those funds to the players themselves. 'For months, the players have privately and respectfully invited the league to discuss bonus terms, yet MLS has failed to bring forward a reasonable proposal. Instead of recognizing the players who have brought MLS to the global stage, the league – which routinely asks the (player association) to deviate from the (collective bargaining agreement) – is clinging to an out-of-date CBA provision and ignoring longstanding international standards on what players typically receive from FIFA prize money in global competitions. 'It is the players who make the game possible. It is the players who are lifting MLS up on the global stage. They expect to be treated fairly and with respect.' Messi and Inter Miami will play in the Club World Cup opener against Egyptian club Al Alhy on June 14 in Miami. Inter Miami will also play FC Porto (Portugal) on June 19 in Atlanta, and SE Palmeiras (Brazil) on June 23 in the group stage. The Sounders will play all three of their group stage matches at home in Lumen Field in Seattle. They'll face Botafogo (Brazil) on June 15, Atletico Madrid (Spain) on June 19, then Paris Saint-Germain (France) on June 23. LAFC became the last team to enter the Club World Cup after a thrilling 2-1 win against Liga MX standouts Club America on Saturday night. They will face Chelsea (England) in Atlanta on June 16, Espérance (Tunisia) in Nashville on June 20 and CR Flamengo (Brazil) in Orlando on June 24 during the group stage. The biggest stories, every morning. Stay up-to-date on all the key sports developments by subscribing to USA TODAY Sports' newsletter.

Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Seattle Sounders players wear T-shirts to protest Club World Cup prize money distribution
The Seattle Sounders players wore T-shirts before a match Sunday that read 'Club World Cup Ca$h Grab' to demand a share of the prize money for participating in the upcoming international tournament. The Sounders, one of 32 teams set to play in the Club World Cup later this month, wore the shirts before kickoff of their match against Minnesota United. Advertisement Major League Soccer's Players Association issued a statement in solidarity with the protest. 'FIFA's new tournament piles on to players' ever-increasing workload without regard to their physical well-being. In order to seize this additional calendar territory, FIFA had to commit historic amounts of prize money to secure club and player participation,' the MLSPA statement said. 'As a result, MLS will receive an unprecedented windfall. Despite the windfall, the league has refused to allocate a fair percentage of those funds to the players themselves.' The Sounders are among three MLS teams taking part in the Club World Cup, along with Inter Miami and LAFC. The tournament, which features an expanded field of club teams from around the globe, starts June 14 and will be played across 11 U.S. cities. The Sounders will earn $9.55 million as a club for participating in the tournament, with a chance to win additional prize money from wins. Advertisement The MLSPA said the players have invited the league to discuss bonus terms but that 'MLS has failed to bring forward a reasonable proposal.' Currently, there is a provision of the collective bargaining agreement that caps how much prize money can go to players at $1 million. Major League Soccer declined to comment because negotiations with MLSPA are ongoing. The Sounders' starters posed for the pregame photo wearing the T-shirts, which also said 'Fair Share Now' on the back. 'It is the players who make the game possible. It is the players who are lifting MLS up on the global stage,' the MLSPA said in its statement. 'They expect to be treated fairly and with respect.' ___ AP soccer: