Latest news with #Mascherano
Miami Herald
2 days ago
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Messi, Suarez start for Inter Miami vs. Columbus, Mascherano tweaks lineup
Challenged with making up for an injury-plagued roster, Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano tweaked his starting lineup Saturday for the home game against the Columbus Crew. The team was missing injured defenders Jordi Alba and Gonzalo Lujan, as well as defensive midfielder Yannick Bright, who is also out indefinitely with a hamstring injury. Tomas Aviles sprained his ankle in Wednesday's 4-2 win over Montreal, but was on the bench on Saturday, available if needed. Mascherano replaced Ian Fray with the more defensive-minded Marcelo Weigandt at right back and started Benja Cremaschi over Fede Redondo in midfield. The Miami Starting XI included: Oscar Ustari, Weigandt, Maxi Falcon, David Martinez, Noah Allen, Cremaschi, Telasco Segovia, Sergio Busquets, Tadeo Allende, Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez. Messi and Suarez scored two goals each in the win over Montreal. Available on the bench are Rocco Rios Novo, Fray, Aviles, Ryan Sailor, Redondo, Fafa Picault, Leo Afonso and Allen Obando. Miami's defense has been shaky of late, giving up 15 goals over the past five games. Miami has just two wins over the past nine games, sits in sixth place in the Eastern Conference and would leapfrog fourth-place Columbus with a win. Like Miami, the Crew is in a bit of a slump, heading into this game on a five-game winless streak with four ties and a loss. Columbus is in fourth place in the Eastern Conference with 28 points. Inter Miami is in sixth place with 26 points and has a game in hand on the top nine teams in the conference. 'We want to play a good game Saturday, reinforce what we did against Montreal and improve in the areas we need to improve,' Mascherano said. 'We know we are facing, in my opinion, the best team in MLS, without a doubt. They have a coach who has a very clear style and does it very well. It is important for us to neutralize them and not let them play their game and control the game and win it.' Miami beat Columbus 1-0 on the road April 10 on a goal by Cremaschi. But it could be tougher this time with so many players injured. 'Clearly, we have a very long list of injuries,' Mascherano said Friday. 'I would love to have a crystal ball to know when they'll be back. For sure they cannot play this weekend. Then we have two weeks, and, although I am not a doctor, we think a few of them can recover by then. And then, we hope the players who are leaving for national team duty come back healthy, as well.' The team is off for FIFA break after Saturday's game and returns to action June 14 for the opening match of the Club World Cup against Egyptian team Al Ahly at Hard Rock Stadium. Messi was called up by Argentina for World Cup qualifiers against Chile June 5 and Colombia June 10. Segovia was called up by Venezuela for World Cup qualifiers against Bolivia June 6 and Uruguay June 10. Haiti invited Fafa Picault for World Cup qualifiers against Aruba June 7 and Curacao June 10. Cremaschi will be with the U.S. Under-20 national team in Egypt for a camp and friendlies against Colombia June 7 and Egypt June 10.
Miami Herald
3 days ago
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Messi in top form, but Inter Miami faces Columbus Crew on Saturday with depleted roster
Inter Miami, eager to build on a midweek victory and head into June on a high note after a miserable May, will be forced to play with a depleted roster against perennial power Columbus Crew at Chase Stadium on Saturday. In addition to the loss of defensive midfielder Yannick Bright, who is out indefinitely with a hamstring injury, Miami lost left back Jordi Alba and center backs Gonzalo Lujan and Tomas 'Toto' Aviles to injury during Wednesday's 4-2 win against Montreal. Alba and Lujan have unspecified leg muscle injuries and Aviles hurt his ankle. Coach Javier Mascherano said there is no timetable for their return. The team is off for FIFA break after Saturday's game and returns to action June 14 for the opening match of the Club World Cup against Egyptian team Al Ahly at Hard Rock Stadium. Miami's defense has been shaky of late, giving up 15 goals over the past five games, so the loss of those four players is particularly costly. Maxi Falcon and David Martinez, who finished the game at center back on Wednesday, are likely starters with Ian Fray at right back and Noah Allen on the left. 'Clearly, we have a very long list of injuries,' Mascherano said Friday. 'I would love to have a crystal ball to know when they'll be back. For sure they cannot play this weekend. Then we have two weeks, and, although I am not a doctor, we think a few of them can recover by then. And then, we hope the players who are leaving for national team duty come back healthy, as well.' Lionel Messi was called up by Argentina for World Cup qualifiers against Chile on June 5 and Colombia on June 10. Telasco Segovia was called up by Venezuela for World Cup qualifiers against Bolivia on June 6 and Uruguay on June 10. Haiti invited Fafa Picault for World Cup qualifiers against Aruba on June 7 and Curacao on June 10. Benja Cremaschi will be with the U.S. Under-20 national team in Egypt for a camp and friendlies against Colombia on June 7 and Egypt on June 10. But first, it has a difficult game on Saturday against the Crew (7:30 p.m., Apple TV). Columbus last year won the Leagues Cup, reached the final of the Champions Cup, and like Miami, fell short in the playoffs. Also, like Miami, the Crew is in a bit of a slump, heading into this game on a five-game winless streak with four ties and a loss. Columbus is in fourth place in the Eastern Conference with 28 points. Inter Miami is in sixth place with 26 points and has a game in hand on the top nine teams in the conference. A victory Saturday would allow Miami to leapfrog the Crew in the standings. 'We want to play a good game Saturday, reinforce what we did against Montreal and improve in the areas we need to improve,' Mascherano said. 'We know we are facing, in my opinion, the best team in MLS, without a doubt. They have a coach who has a very clear style and does it very well. It is important for us to neutralize them and not let them play their game and control the game and win it.' Miami beat Columbus 1-0 on the road April 10 on a goal by Cremaschi. The Crew plays a possession-style attack, as does Miami, and is getting adjusted to playing without Cucho Hernandez, who left for Spanish club Real Betis. Daniel Gazdag, a designated player who joined Columbus from Philadelphia, remains scoreless through his first eight games with the Crew and has no assists. Miami goalkeeper Oscar Ustari signed a contract extension through 2026 on Thursday. The 38-year-old Argentine is a locker room leader and 'I see the stats floating around and what people are saying,' Ustari said. 'But if you really calculate, our situation is not that bad. It's true when you have Messi on your team, the expectations are going to be extremely high. But we have done a lot of things very well. There is more that we've done well than what we haven't. Yes, we have things to improve, but we are still a growing team with a lot of young players.' Angel Di Maria was not an option for Inter Miami Many Inter Miami fans hoped that Argentine great Angel Di Maria would join Messi at Inter Miami, but Mascherano, who was also Di Maria's longtime teammate with the national team, said he knew that was never an option. Di Maria, 37, announced this week that he was leaving Portuguese club Benfica and returning to his boyhood club Rosario Central in Argentina. 'I am friends with him, and I knew there was no chance he was coming to Miami because he wanted to go home,' Mascherano said. 'It was a decision he made a long time ago. You have to understand that when you spend many, many years away from home, it is normal to want to return home and be with your loved ones. Especially in his case, with a chance to return to his club, where it all began. 'He wanted to finish his career in Central, so I am very happy for him.'
Miami Herald
5 days ago
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Pressure mounts as Messi, slumping Inter Miami face CF Montreal at home
Lionel Messi and his Inter Miami teammates entered Wednesday's home game against CF Montreal under intense pressure to live up to lofty expectations and get out of a month-long funk during which they won just one of eight games, conceded 23 goals during that stretch and slipped to seventh place in the Eastern Conference. Coach Javier Mascherano stuck with mostly the same lineup he used for the 3-3 tie on the road against the Philadelphia Union last weekend. In that game, Miami rallied from a 3-1 second-half deficit to salvage a point. It was the third time in a month Inter Miami scored three goals and did not win the match. The only changes in the lineup were midfielder Fede Redondo replaced injured Yannick Bright and Telasco Segovia, who scored the equalizer in extra time against the Union, replaced defender Tomas 'Toto' Aviles, as Mascherano went with a more attack-minded lineup against Montreal. The rest of the Miami Starting XI were: goalkeeper Oscar Ustari, right back Ian Fray, center back Gonzalo Lujan, center back Noah Allen, left back Jordi Alba, midfielder Sergio Busquets, winger Tadeo Allende, Messi, and Luis Suarez at center forward. Suarez, the 38-year-old Uruguayan, has been in a scoring slump this season with just two goals in 11 MLS games after being a Golden Boot finalist last season with 20 goals. Mascherano has been asked in recent weeks about Suarez's poor run of form, but the coach decided to keep him in the starting lineup. Mascherano has said on numerous occasions that even when Suarez doesn't score, he helps the team by organizing attackers and defending. Asked about Suarez's slump in the leadup to the game, Mascherano said: 'I'm not here to single anyone out. You can do whatever analysis you want, you have that right, that is your job. We try to analyze different situations. We know how important Luis is for the club, in general. The club a year and a half ago decided to go with this project and we have to adapt to that.' On the bench for Miami Wednesday were: Rocco Rios Novo, Marcelo Weigandt, Aviles, Maxi Falcon, David Martinez, Benja Cremaschi, Fafa Picault, Leo Afonso and Allen Obando. Inter Miami's recent struggles include five losses and two ties while conceding 23 goals and scoring just 15. The team slipped from second place in the Eastern Conference to seventh, with 23 points from 14 league games. CF Montreal is in last place in the East with just one victory all season, but Mascherano assured fans the opponent is better than its record and Inter Miami is not taking this game lightly. Montreal is coming off a 2-2 tie against LAFC and has also had good results against the Crew (1-1), Orlando (0-0), and New York City FC (1-0). 'Despite their position in the standings, if you watched Montreal's games, you saw that in several of their games they deserved better results than what they got,' Mascherano said. 'I don't think it's an opponent we should judge by their record. They played even and gave trouble to Columbus, Philadelphia [2-1 loss], LAFC. They are very physical, like most teams in MLS they have good players in the final third, and we expect a tough opponent.'
Miami Herald
6 days ago
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Messi, Inter Miami aim for two home wins this week before Club World Cup kicks off
Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano and his players enter Wednesday's home game against CF Montreal energized by the grit and unity they displayed on the road Saturday, scoring three goals in the final 35 minutes to salvage a 3-3 tie against the league-leading Philadelphia Union. Miami slipped to seventh place in the Eastern Conference, is winless in seven of its past eight games, and gave up 23 goals during that stretch. But the mood was optimistic around training on Tuesday. 'We understand that it needs to be better, but I think we're going to try to take as many positives as we can from it, because we've been in a tough, tough run of games where we haven't gotten results,' defender Noah Allen said. 'It wasn't the prettiest of games, but we showed togetherness to come back. That's always important and I think that's a very big thing we can take going into the game Wednesday, quick turnaround. We're excited.' Allen said the team had not fully bounced back from the loss to Vancouver in the Champions Cup semifinals last month, and that this week, with back-to-back home games against Montreal and the Columbus Crew, is a perfect chance to get back to the high level exhibited early in the season. Mascherano echoed Allen's sentiments. He said the team emerged from the Philadelphia game stronger because although there were mistakes that led to conceded goals, there were many positive takeaways. 'We allowed three goals, that's true; unfortunately, the first one on a set piece due to a momentary lapse of concentration and another outside the game [he felt it was offside],' Mascherano said. 'But we controlled the game, generated a lot of scoring opportunities, and the way I saw it, our team played in the opponent's half of the field and played well against an opponent that was the top team in the conference.' Miami's recent struggles can be attributed mostly to momentary lapses of concentration, Allen said, and the players must be held accountable. The criticism of Mascherano is unfair, Allen said. 'Everyone's just going to blame the coach, or look at the coach first, and it's understandable, of course, especially when you're not getting results,' Allen said. 'But I think the players have to take accountability first. He's not on the field. We're on the field. It's a difficult time. We've also played more games than any other team besides Vancouver.' Miami and Vancouver lead the league in games played with 22 each, due to their participation in the Concacaf Champions Cup. Los Angeles FC has played 21. Twenty-three of the league's 30 teams have played 17 games or fewer. Inter Miami also played the most taxing preseason schedule with five games in Las Vegas, Peru, Panama, Honduras and Tampa. 'There's a lot of games and there's going to be times where we're going to be in bad form, it's normal,' Allen said. 'This happens all over the world. We, as players, have to take accountability and get out of that bad form. [Mascherano] has been helping us, guiding us, trying, pushing hard, and evolving. Wednesday is an opportunity to get out of the bad form.' Miami will have to play without midfielder Yannick Bright, who injured his right hamstring during the Philadelphia game and was having medical tests done on Tuesday to determine the severity of the injury. Bright had been a regular starter in recent games and paired well with Sergio Busquets. 'Yannick is a very important player for this team, as he was last year, and we lose his physicality, which clearly the team needs,' Mascherano said. 'Especially on the defensive side, he gives us a lot and sadly, he had this injury and we hope it is minor so he can return as soon as possible.' CF Montreal is in last place in the East with just one victory all season, but Mascherano assured fans the opponent is better than its record and Inter Miami is not taking this game lightly. Montreal is coming off a 2-2 tie against LAFC and has also had good results against the Crew (1-1), Orlando (0-0), and New York City FC (1-0). Players to watch include Prince Osuwu and Giacomo Vrioni. 'Despite their position in the standings, if you watched Montreal's games, you saw that in several of their games they deserved better results than what they got,' Mascherano said. 'I don't think it's an opponent we should judge by their record. They played even and gave trouble to Columbus, Philadelphia [2-1 loss], LAFC. They are very physical, like most teams in MLS they have good players in the final third, and we expect a tough opponent.' How to watch: Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. at Chase Stadium. The game will be shown on Apple TV. Mascherano on Luis Suarez Slump Mascherano will not criticize individual players publicly, but he did not offer a ringing endorsement of Luis Suarez, who has scored just two goals in 11 MLS games after being a Golden Boot finalist last season with 20 goals. Asked about Suarez's slump, Mascherano said: 'I'm not here to single anyone out. You can do whatever analysis you want, you have that right, that is your job. We try to analyze different situations. We know how important Luis is for the club, in general. The club a year and a half ago decided to go with this project and we have to adapt to that.' Picault, Ruiz will not play in Gold Cup Fafa Picault was on Haiti's preliminary roster for the upcoming Gold Cup and David Ruiz was listed for Honduras, but Mascherano said they will stay with Inter Miami and not report for their national teams. 'No, no, as you can see, we don't have players to spare, so they will not play in the Gold Cup,' Mascherano said. Club World Cup Reinforcements for Inter Miami? Mascherano was asked about the possibility of signing reinforcements for the Club World Cup, which kicks off June 14. He reiterated that he told club management the areas he felt needed help, and now it is out of his hands. 'I honestly think is a complex situation because we are at May 27, and we know the restrictions there are in coming to play in the United States, in addition to making a transfer, then there is all the paperwork,' he said.
Time of India
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
La Liga End of Season gift arrives in EA FC Mobile: Vote rewards unlocked
As the curtains close on a breathtaking 2024–25 La Liga season, EA FC Mobile has begun rewarding its loyal followers with exclusive end-of-season gifts for participating in the 'Follow La Liga' prediction event. After months of fierce competition and dramatic footballing action, the official top three standings in La Liga are FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Atlético de Madrid. Fans who correctly guessed these top three final standings - Champion, Runner-Up, and Third Place are now able to claim a generous reward bundle from the in-game La Liga tab. If you predicted these three correctly during the 'Follow La Liga' vote earlier in the season, you can grab these in-game rewards from the La Liga Campaign segment in the game. What's in the EA FC Mobile La Liga End of Season Reward package? Players who locked in the correct predictions have been granted a well-rounded La Liga reward pack that includes: 1,000 Gems 10,000,000 Coins Two Universal Rank-Up Mascherano cards A Special Edition LALIGA vs Racism Kit This thoughtful reward drop highlights EA's continued effort to engage its community with real-world football while promoting inclusion and anti-racism through in-game campaigns like 'LALIGA vs Racism.' How to claim your EA FC Mobile La Liga End of Season rewards To claim your rewards, follow these steps in EA FC Mobile: Head over to the 'Follow La Liga' chapter in the La Liga event section. You'll find your Vote Rewards available if your predictions matched the actual standings. Tap and claim your rewards instantly. Do note that these rewards will expire in 9 days, so don't forget to collect them before the time runs out. Events like these bring FC Mobile closer to real-life football and offer meaningful in-game perks. However if you didn't participate in the event or predicted wrong table positions, you will not be able to receive them. If you've guessed and vote correct in the La Liga prediction event, now's the time to log in and get what you deserve Get IPL 2025 match schedules , squads , points table , and live scores for CSK , MI , RCB , KKR , SRH , LSG , DC , GT , PBKS , and RR . Check the latest IPL Orange Cap and Purple Cap standings.
