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Miami Herald
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Messi leads Inter Miami vs. Earthquakes as San Jose fans abuzz over Argentine icon
Soccer fans in the San Francisco Bay Area started buzzing the moment Inter Miami star Lionel Messi and his teammates arrived on Sunday, ahead of Wednesday night's game against the San Jose Earthquakes. Hundreds of them gathered outside the Miami team hotel, behind police barricades, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Argentine icon. They got their wish. Messi stepped out onto a balcony and waved to his worshippers, who chanted his name and captured the moment with their cell phones, similar to the kind of reception the Pope gets at the Vatican. PayPal Park was sold out for the game, with the cheapest tickets going for $528 on the secondary market an hour before the 10:30 p.m. kickoff. The fans will get a chance to see Messi on the field, as well. He was in the starting lineup along with goalkeeper Oscar Ustari, right back Marcelo Weigandt, center back Maxi Falcon, center back Noah Allen, left back Jordi Alba, midfielder Benja Cremaschi, midfielder Yannick Bright, midfielder Sergio Busquets, winger Tadeo Allende, and winger Telasco Segovia. Forward Luis Suarez and winger Fafa Picault were missing for the second game in a row. Suarez is out of town for personal reasons and Picault is dealing with migraine headaches that kept him out of Saturday's game at Minnesota United, which Miami lost 4-1. Miami's bench included Rocco Rios Novo, Ian Fray, Toto Aviles, David Martinez, Gonzalo Lujan, Fede Redondo, Leo Afonso, Baltasar Rodriguez and Allen Obando. Miami has lost four of the past five games and is desperate for a victory against the Quakes. The Earthquakes, under former U.S. national team coach Bruce Arena, lead MLS in scoring this season with 26 goals. San Jose's Colombian forward Cristian Arango is tied with Vancouver's Brian White for the league lead with eight goals. Former Inter Miami forward Josef Martinez of Venezuela, who joined the Earthquakes this year, has six goals. Argentine midfielder Cristian Espinoza has four goals and an MLS-best seven assists. The Quakes' Starting XI included: Daniel, Rodrigues, Daniel Munie, Dave Romney, DeJuan Jones, Beaux Leroux, Ian Harkes, Vitor Costa, Espinoza, Ousseni Bouda, and Arango. Among the players on the bench was former Inter Miami forward Josef Martinez. The game is being shown on Apple TV MLS Season Pass.
Miami Herald
13-05-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Bruce Arena, Cristian Espinoza preview Earthquakes vs. Lionel Messi, Inter Miami
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.'
Miami Herald
12-05-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Lionel Messi, Inter Miami face challenges ahead of road clash in San Jose
Lionel Messi and his Inter Miami teammates, in desperate need of goals and victories after losing four of their past five games, may be without two of their best scoring options for the road game Wednesday against the San Jose Earthquakes. Forward Luis Suarez, who missed the 4-1 loss at Minnesota United on Saturday due to a personal trip, had not rejoined the team as of Monday and will also be out Wednesday, according to coach Javier Mascherano, who did a remote interview with the media from San Jose, where the team is preparing for the game. No other details were given. Suarez's wife, Sofia Balbi, posted photos of herself and the couple's three children at her brother's wedding over the weekend, leading to speculation that Suarez was there, though he was not in the photos. Also, winger Fafa Picault, unable to play Saturday due to a migraine, was still being evaluated for the condition on Monday and is questionable for the San Jose game (10:30 p.m., Apple TV). 'Fafa is with the team, but he had a migraine episode Saturday morning; he was scheduled to start the game [against Minnesota], we had prepared for the game with him, and unfortunately, he could not play,' Mascherano said. 'We are continuing to evaluate him. We hope that as the hours go by, he will recover, but that is out of our control.' The Earthquakes, under former U.S. national team coach Bruce Arena, lead MLS in scoring this season with 26 goals. San Jose's Colombian forward Cristian Arango is tied with Vancouver's Brian White for the league lead with eight goals. Former Inter Miami forward Josef Martinez of Venezuela, who joined the Earthquakes this year, has six goals. Argentine midfielder Cristian Espinoza has four goals and an MLS-best seven assists. The Earthquakes bolstered their roster in late April when they acquired Columbus Crew defender DeJuan Jones in a trade. Jones played for five years under Arena with the New England Revolution and has been called up to the U.S. national team. 'San Jose is not just Espinoza, it's a team that has a clear identity with a very experienced coach, a very direct style,' Mascherano replied, when asked how they would contain Espinoza. 'The arrival of DeJuan Jones gives them depth on the right side. Obviously, we always pay attention to the key players on opposing teams and try to neutralize them, but San Jose's success is a total team effort.' Mascherano and goalkeeper Oscar Ustari both said the primary reasons for the team's defensive struggles of late were momentary lapses of concentration and individual mistakes. 'We had possession much of the time [73 percent] in the last game, but that doesn't guarantee that you're going to win,' Ustari said. 'We committed errors that cost us the game. We need to address those details.' He added: 'Yes, we are coming off a game where we allowed four goals, and that was tough. But it is also true that the game before [against the New York Red Bulls], we scored four goals and allowed just one, and that team went on to score seven in their next game. So, we are going game by game. There is a lot to improve, but we are not on the wrong path.' Minnesota beat Miami with its trademark defensive style, packing the back, clogging the middle, possessing the ball just 27 percent of the game and relying on the counterattack and set pieces. Mascherano discussed how his team must adapt to teams that employ that tactic. 'We can't just say the other team defended in a low block and therefore we couldn't do anything; obviously we have to adapt, play deeper, attack up the flanks more, because when the opponent is waiting for you with so many defenders in the middle, it's very difficult to find spaces inside,' Mascherano said. The coach said the team has analyzed its deficiencies behind closed doors, and the four days in San Jose together will help with team bonding as players try to rebound from this rough patch. He said although there is a lot to improve, the team remains united. Ustari concurred. 'Nobody likes to lose, but the mood of the group is good; everyone is talking about the results of the past few games, but the tree cannot hide the forest,' Ustari said. 'We have done a lot of things very well, and we are one win from being in first place, so we don't have to exaggerate so days together are good for us because this is a team sport, not golf or tennis, and we win and lose as a group. After the last game, we can focus and discuss what happened, and what comes next.' Inter Miami is in fourth place in the Eastern Conference with 21 points and a game in hand, behind Cincinnati and Columbus (25) and Philadelphia (23.) Inter Miami is under pressure to turn things around, as criticism has heated up on social media during the recent slump. Team co-owner David Beckham felt the need to step in, posting a comment urging Minnesota United to 'show some respect' after the club celebrated its win over Miami by mocking the team on its official social media feeds. Asked how the outside noise surrounding the team affected the players and whether they might serve as motivation this week, Mascherano said: 'Those of us who have been in futbol for a long time realize this is part of it. We must know how to live with criticism, and how to benefit from it. There is constructive criticism that allows you to see things and makes you think. And there is some that is not valuable, simply attacking for the sake of attacking. 'In my case, I am used to it and most of the players also must live with this.'
Forbes
02-04-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
Why Peter Vermes The GM Got Peter Vermes The Manager Fired
Sporting Kansas City fired Peter Vermes, one of the longest-tenured managers in world football, on ... More Monday. His departure brings into question whether it's still possible to be an effective MLS GM and manager at the same time. In the final days of the Peter Vermes era, when Sporting Kansas City's club-worst winless run had grown to double digits, one of the most consistently repated narratives among frustrated fans was of outdated tactics. It was even cited in a letter from the club's most visible supporters groups published on Sunday night, calling for the manager's resignation. (His dismissal followed on Monday.) A closer examination of Vermes' recent managerial record suggests something different altogether. While Vermes' Sporting Kansas City sides finished 12th, 8th and 13th in the Western Conference the last three seasons, what's more interesting is how poorly they played over their first 10 league games since 2022. Across those 36 matches (10 from the past three seasons, plus six in 2025), Vermes' teams held a painful 4W-21L-11D record. They were much better than that – though far from excellent – over the remainder of each campaign. In other words, Vermes got his group to improve from their starting point in each of the last three complete seasons, arguably the definitive sign of good coaching. But the starting point was simply a team less talented than most of its opponents – the sign of a bad personnel department. And until the middle of 2024, when Mike Burns was finally hired to assume the sporting director role, Vermes ran both sides. While managers who doubled as sporting directors were once commonplace in the English game and elsewhere, it has always been the exception to the rule in MLS, reserved for managers who prove exceptionally accomplished as coaches and talent evaluators. With Vermes now out at Kansas City, there only two who currently occupy that dual role: San Jose Earthquakes boss Bruce Arena, and Chicago Fire gaffer Gregg Berhalter. Arena tops the MLS all-time wins list and has an MLS-best five MLS Cup titles to his name. Berhalter was considered a borderline miracle worker on a budget during his time at the Columbus Crew. Both have coached the U.S. men's national team. Even so, that duo has combined for exactly one major trophy since the end of 2014, when Arena's New England Revolution won the 2021 Supporters' Shield. There are some other extenuating facotrs – namely, the timeline of both men's service to the USMNT – but clearly doing both jobs has become harder than it used to be. And it clearly got a lot harder for Vermes, whose best years also came earlier in his tenure, when he won the 2013 MLS Cup, and the 2012, 2015 and 2017 U.S. Open Cups. A major driving force in this has been the growth in the number of avenues MLS clubs can use to stock their rosters. The league debuted Targeted Allocation Money as a way for teams to buy down some salaries in terms of the salary cap in 2015, and General Allocation Money not long after. Then came the league's U-22 Intiative, introduced in 2021. All of these opened additional player markets for MLS clubs around the world, and as such favored clubs with stronger and more robust scouting and talent evaluation arms, and to some extent deeper purse strings. In 2010, Vermes' network of European connections was ahead of its time. By 2023, it probably below league average. And he was also building his teams with one of the more limited budgets in the league, which gave him less margin for error on the big splashes he could make. And that may have sealed his fate. Alan Pulido was a good MLS forward and did a lot of unsung work that made others around him better. But he was plauged by injury, and still not enough of a goal threat when healthy to justify his price tag. Similarly, the decision to reward Daniel Salloi for his extended service to the club by retaining him on a Designated Player contract also has not resulted in DP-level production. Some clubs could afford two miscalulations of that nature. Sporting couldn't. Vermes the manager clearly deserves another MLS job if he wants one. There's also no reason to suspect he couldn't be an effective sporting director if he was orchestrating a personnel department with a solid foundation, and devoting his sole attention to it. But the days of doing both jobs should be over for Vermes, and maybe for everyone.
