Bruce Arena, Cristian Espinoza preview Earthquakes vs. Lionel Messi, Inter Miami

Miami Herald

13-05-2025

San Jose Earthquakes coach Bruce Arena and his team spent the past few days preparing to face Lionel Messi and the rest of Inter Miami's star-studded roster at PayPal Park on Wednesday night, and he is not buying the narrative that Miami is broken and spiraling downward.
Yes, Inter Miami has lost four of its past five games and was outscored 9-2 by the Vancouver Whitecaps and Minnesota United during the span of three games. But Arena insists that Messi and his teammates are as dangerous as ever.
'Two games ago they dominated a very good Red Bulls team, so we know they still have those qualities,' Arena said Tuesday, after the Earthquakes' training session. 'Obviously, the Champions Cup was difficult against a good Vancouver team. And last game, Minnesota won the game, but the scoreline wasn't fair…it wasn't a fair indication of the game. I don't think Minnesota dominated the game, but give them credit, they scored four goals.'
Arena said Miami's recent struggles will likely make the team hungrier against the Earthquakes.
'Miami is going to be ready to play; I'm sure they're going to be highly motivated, a little bit angry over their recent performances,' he said. 'So, for our team, it's going to be a huge challenge. Messi is still arguably the greatest player this game has ever seen, and he's going to be a very difficult opponent to face.'
Asked how the Earthquakes will try to neutralize Messi, and whether he thinks MLS coaches are figuring out how to contain him, Arena said 'I don't think anyone neutralizes Messi.' He went on to stress that Inter Miami is more than just Messi.
'The biggest mistake you can make is just focus on Messi; he's too good of a player to think you're ever going to take him out of a game,' Arena said. 'So, we need to respect Messi for what he is, one of the greatest players who ever played this game, be aware of Messi on the field, but also respect his teammates, who are quite good, as well.
'Obviously, everyone focuses first on Messi, but he's surrounded by a number of good players. Alba is arguably the best left back in the league. Busquets is still an outstanding number six, Suarez, when he's in there, is a dangerous goal scorer. And they have a bunch of young, talented players. Everyone talks about the fact that they've got all these older veteran players that have had outstanding careers, but they also have some very promising young players. They're going to be a handful.'
One Earthquakes player who knows firsthand about Messi's magic and what it is like to play against him is Argentine midfielder Cristian Espinoza, who has four goals and an MLS-best seven assists this season.
Espinoza, 30, has admired Messi his entire career and on Sept. 10, 2016, while playing for Spanish club Alaves, had the unforgettable experience of beating FC Barcelona 2-1 at Camp Nou when Inter Miami stars Messi, Sergio Busquets, Luis Suarez, Javier Mascherano and Jordi Alba were playing for Barca. Brazilian great Neymar and Spanish legend Andres Iniesta were also on that Barcelona squad.
'It was really special to play against players you grow up watching, and I will have the opportunity again [Wednesday] to do the same thing,' said Espinoza, who, like Messi, wears No. 10. 'It's a really special feeling for me and for my teammates.'
Espinoza said he and his teammates go into the game respecting Messi and Inter Miami, not fearing them.
'You always have to respect Messi, but respecting Messi and Inter Miami and fearing them are different,' he said. 'He is still the same dangerous player he was for so many years and they are still a dangerous team. Of course, there are moments in a game when things go well or not, but Messi is still the best player in the history of the sport and at any moment he can change the game when he gets an opportunity. So, as a team, we must be very well prepared to minimize his opportunities.'
PayPal Field is sold out for the game Wednesday (10:30 p.m., Apple TV-MLS Season Pass). More media than usual showed up at the Earthquakes training session on Tuesday. Arena and Espinoza agreed that this game has a different vibe, and they hope to capitalize on the buzz.
'The event is a plus for us and the league,' Arena said. 'I coached David Beckham, so it was similar in some ways. When we went into venues around the league, they were focused and interested in the game and that will help us here. We have a long tradition of success in this market as a soccer club, but over the last couple of years we've lost a little bit of attention in the marketplace. This game will draw a lot of attention.
'We'll play our game, they'll play theirs, and hopefully we will be the better team on this night.'