Inter Miami resume their Leagues Cup campaign on Wednesday night when they face Mexican side Tigres in the quarterfinals.
By James Nalton
This is the last round of the tournament that still guarantees MLS versus Liga MX matchups, and the winner of this tie will face the winner of Toluca and Orlando City.
Messi match fit
Inter Miami defeated LA Galaxy in their most recent outing, after two Lionel Messi-inspired second-half goals gave them a 3-1 win.
He entered the field at halftime alongside Rodrigo De Paul and led his team to victory with a world-class assist for Luis Suárez and an equally impressive goal.
Messi left the pitch immediately as the full-time whistle was blown, though, suggesting some kind of discomfort or unhappiness.
He was only just back in the picture following a hamstring injury picked up in the second Leagues Cup group game against Necaxa, which caused him to miss the final group game against Pumas and the MLS match versus Orlando City.
His hasty exit led many to believe that all was not well, either with the injury or some other issue, but Javier Mascherano has assured fans he will play: “Leo is fine,” Miami’s head coach said on Tuesday. “He has been training with the team, and unless something strange happens, he will be in the squad for the match.”
Cremaschi causes a stir
De Paul looks set to return in midfield for Miami against Tigres, likely in place of Benjamin Cremaschi, who has had a public falling out with Mascherano.
It will be interesting to monitor the involvement of the 20-year-old American attacking midfielder in the coming weeks after he exchanged words with his coach via the media, which is never a good idea.
“I’m frustrated, I want to play,” Cremaschi said last week. “I think the most important thing for me is to be at a very high level, and to get there, I need minutes and experience. I’ve played very little in these recent games, and I don’t think it’s because of my level. I go to the games and I have no idea where I’m going to play.”
Mascherano responded: “I understand he likes to play as a central midfielder. I also liked to play as a central midfielder, but when I went to Barcelona, I had to play as a centre-back because otherwise I had no chance to play.
“The door to my office is always open for anyone who may be mad or doesn’t want to play a certain position to come and tell me. I haven’t heard any complaints face-to-face. This is professional football. I decide where I think each player can give me their best.”
Telasco Segovia and Tadeo Allende could keep their places, with De Paul and Messi coming into the team.
With the increased competition at Inter Miami, Cremaschi might be wise to offer the hard-working versatility and availability this team needs around those star names.
Opposition watch: Tigres UANL
Tigres’ own Argentine attacking midfielder, Ángel Correa, leads the Leagues Cup goalscoring charts with four.
He scored a brace in games against San Diego and Houston Dynamo, and currently has the highest FotMob rating of any player in this year’s Leagues Cup.
Ozziel Herrera, Diego Lainez, and Juan Brunetta all provide an attacking threat, while 39-year-old Frenchman André-Pierre Gignac is the club’s all-time top scorer and still going strong.
Expect defender Romulo Zwarg to be heavily involved from centre-back. Also able to play in midfield, he keeps things ticking over in possession while being equally able to win the ball back on the defensive side of the game.
It will be a tough test for Inter Miami.
Prediction
Tigres might have too much quality for Inter Miami in a standout quarterfinal matchup that would be worthy of the final itself.
(Cover Image from IMAGO)
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