Everything you need to know as Messi, Inter Miami face Nashville SC in Leagues Cup final
Like everyone else, Nashville SC coach Gary Smith has trouble finding the words to describe how Inter Miami has changed since Lionel Messi joined the team last month. He said the squad his team will face Saturday night in the Leagues Cup final is “unrecognizable” from the Miami teams they played in the past.
“We were lucky enough to watch a good portion of the (Inter Miami vs Philadelphia Union semifinal) game before ours (against Monterrey) really got underway, and it’s absolutely astounding, amazing, I think we’ve run out of adjectives to describe what’s gone on in Miami,” Smith said.
“They’re playing such good football, they’re scoring goals, they look a side that’s unrecognizable from a month ago. I’ve never in all my time in football seen a transformation of a team that we’re currently seeing. There is an individual in that group that has more of an impact than others, but Messi has brought out so much out of the guys around him.”
Before Messi arrived, Inter Miami had five wins and 22 goals in 22 games. Since his arrival, the team has six wins and 21 goals in six games. The Argentine star has scored nine goals and is the leader for the tournament Golden Boot award.
The addition of Messi and his former FC Barcelona teammates Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba has elevated the play of everyone on the Inter Miami roster.
“He attracts so many players towards him, so it leaves space for everyone around him,” said winger Robert Taylor, who has shined since linking up with Messi. “That makes our game easier. Same goes for Busquets in the middle and Alba, also. They make the right decisions and make other players’ lives much easier. Alba brings experience in defensive plays and then he just runs up and down the field like a maniac. It’s crazy.”
Former Inter Miami coach Phil Neville, who was fired and replaced by Tata Martino as part of the club’s summer shakeup, said he is delighted to see how Taylor has lifted his game with his new teammates.
“He was hungry, had that desire, and he’s the player we signed, and when I see him play now, you talk about the effects of Sergio and Jordi and Lionel on him, he’s just been inspired,” Neville said on the latest podcast episode of Offside With Taylor Twellman. “He’s almost like a superstar himself now. Robert Taylor’s getting headlines he’s probably never gotten in his life before. The quality of his passing, of his runs, of his delivery, his technical ability is sensational. He’s fulfilling that potential.”
Taylor believes the game against Nashville will be the toughest yet during this tournament. Nashville is known as a team that is dangerous in transition, good on counterattacks, and they knocked off Mexican teams Club America and Monterrey to reach the final (9 p.m., Apple TV, UniMas, TUDN).
Miami will have to figure out a way to contain Hany Mukhtar, the reigning MLS MVP and leading scorer thus far in the 2023 MLS season.
Mukhtar, a German of Sudanese background, wears No. 10 like Messi, and has been called “the MLS Messi.” He has scored 65 goals and had 39 assists in 119 games since arriving in Nashville.
Mukhtar insists his team will not be intimidated by Miami.
“We have to trust in our abilities, know that we are fighting and not be shy or have any regrets when we step off the field,” said Mukhtar. “To win a trophy is never easy, and then you are playing against maybe the best player of all time. It will not be easy, but you have to overcome that to win a trophy. It’s a good challenge for us. And if we win, we will be very proud of it.”
Smith agreed that despite all the hype around Messi, and the high-priced tickets, his team will be ready.
“I do believe that in a Cup final, and at home, we’ll be prepared,” said Smith. “They’ll certainly be no fear in the way that we play. And we’ll try and give ourselves the very best opportunity to do what nobody else has done at the moment, which is beat Miami.”
Smith was asked if he felt his team is being disrespected by so many experts picking Miami to win.
His reply: “I think disrespected maybe is a bit too strong. We all understand the excitement and the energy wrapped around Miami and Lionel Messi, one of the greatest players, if not the greatest player of all time, so..I think we all understand the way people offer their opinions is that Miami is the favorites, Lionel Messi and Busquets and Alba are going to be too much for us to deal with. And it sounds like in a lot of people’s minds it’s a foregone conclusion. And we are in the race (Saturday) to prove people wrong.”
Martino and Inter Miami defender DeAndre Yedlin say their team is definitely not invincible, despite the recent results.
“We’re not a perfect team, but we’re obviously in good form right now and very confident,” Yedlin said. “But we’ve only been together three weeks and before we left on the plane (for Nashville) we had a meeting of all the mistakes we made against Philadelphia and there were probably more than the average viewer would think. We’ve given teams opportunities and need to clean those up.”
Martino said: “We appreciate how far we’ve come in this short time, but in soccer there is no such thing as invincible. We can’t talk about the past. We are a team that has suffered in games, so we could win, but we could also lose the final. We will be the visiting team, and will feel that, so it will be a tough game.”
This story was originally published August 18, 2023 at 7:30 PM.