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 much...These 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.”