Messi, Inter Miami turn focus from Champions Cup exit to Minnesota United, MLS season

Miami Herald

07-05-2025

Inter Miami Messi, Inter Miami turn focus from Champions Cup exit to Minnesota United, MLS season
A week has passed since Inter Miami was eliminated from the Champions Cup with a crushing 5-1 aggregate loss to Vancouver in the semifinals, and although Lionel Messi and his teammates were deflated by the defeat, they have turned their focus to getting back to the top of the MLS standings.
They took a step in that direction with a 4-1 home win on Saturday against the New York Red Bulls, but there was only a muted celebration on the field afterward and Messi, who appeared frustrated during the game, skipped it and went directly to the tunnel.
'That is a great virtue Leo has that he has that level of competitiveness even though he is the best; that is what got him to where he is,' said Inter Miami winger Tadeo Allende. 'We are all hurting, and him more because he is the leader and he always competes at the highest level. But we have turned the page. We gave it our all. We suffered, but we are working to compete for what remains in the season.'
Inter Miami, which won the Supporters' Shield for the league's best record last season, is in fourth place in the Eastern Conference standings heading into a difficult road game Saturday against Minnesota United, which sits in second place behind Vancouver in the West.
Miami has six wins, three ties and one loss through 10 games and trails first-place Columbus Crew by three points in the East with a game in hand. There are 24 regular-season games remaining.
'We're going to fight for the top spots in the Eastern Conference, and then we'll see what comes [over the summer] with the Club World Cup and the Leagues Cup; but right now, the most important game is the next one,' said Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano.
After the Minnesota game, Inter Miami will fly to San Jose and train for a few days out there ahead of the Wednesday game against the Earthquakes, and then return to South Florida for a May 18 home game against Orlando City.
'It was very important for us to win over the weekend to turn the page after the loss to Vancouver,' Miami defender Gonzalo Lujan said Wednesday morning. 'We are focusing on the fact that we have a very long league season with a lot of games remaining and we can't have a dip. We have to keep going on the path we were on before those losses.'
As for the team's mood this week, Lujan said it has improved.
'Obviously, [the Champions Cup exit] was a painful blow we did not expect,' Lujan said. 'I think we left it all out on the field until the end, we lost, but we turned the page. It's a long season and there is still a lot for us to play for. We have three games in a short period of time coming up.'
Against Minnesota, Inter Miami will face a familiar face in midfielder Julian Gressel, who was waived by Miami a few weeks ago. Gressel started 31 games and played 2,366 minutes for Inter Miami last season under previous coach Tata Martino, with whom he won the 2018 MLS Cup.
But Mascherano did not have Gressel in his plans. The 31-year-old did not play a single minute through nine MLS games this season before leaving for Minnesota, his sixth team in eight seasons.
Inter Miami defender Julian Gressel (24) reacts after a play against Charlotte FC in the first half of their MLS match at Chase Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. MATIAS J. OCNER
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Gressel met with the Minnesota media last week and said he is eager to begin this new chapter of his career.
'I've been waiting for this ever since I knew what my situation was in Miami and that was pretty early on,' Gressel said. 'They laid a pretty clear picture out for me, and I appreciated that, so we could try and come up with a solution. It took longer than I thought, but ultimately, I'm happy to be here.'
Asked why he thinks Miami let him go, Gressel said: 'Coaches make decisions for different reasons. Mascherano came in and he probably did his homework watching games from last year, where obviously I played a lot, so he had a lot of footage to watch. He basically told me that he doesn't think I'm going to fit his system.
'I'm grown up enough to respect that and be okay with that and try to find the best solution to that situation.'
Gressel added that he is highly motivated and is looking forward to facing Inter Miami on Saturday.
'I've been in this league long enough, played a lot of games, where I've had that chip [on my shoulder] throughout my whole career and that motivates me,' he said. 'Obviously, we play Miami [Saturday], so that will be a special game.
'I'm grateful to that organization for that year I was there, and now it's time to turn the page, new chapter, trying to leave all that behind, trying to take the lessons I learned with me, incorporate them here, try and be a leader and push this club forward.'
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Michelle Kaufman
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Miami Herald sportswriter Michelle Kaufman has covered 14 Olympics, six World Cups, Wimbledon, U.S. Open, NCAA Basketball Tournaments, NBA Playoffs, Super Bowls and has been the soccer writer and University of Miami basketball beat writer for 25 years. She was born in Frederick, Md., and grew up in Miami.