Inter Miami head coach Javier Mascherano confirmed that changes will be made to the starting lineup for Sunday’s match against FC Dallas at Chase Stadium, due to the tight 72-hour turnaround following their Concacaf Champions Cup (CCC) semifinal first-leg loss to the Vancouver Whitecaps.
Mascherano hinted that Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez may play more secondary roles in this match, as both were absent from the first 15 minutes of Friday’s training session open to the media. Starting goalkeeper Oscar Ustari also did not participate in the training session with the rest of the team, while midfielder Sergio Busquets was seen working individually with a member of the coaching staff.
“Playing every three days is one thing, but playing with less than 72 hours rest is different. We finished playing at midnight on Thursday in Miami, and now we are set to play again at 5 p.m. on Sunday,” Mascherano explained. “It’s not even a full 72 hours, especially with a six-hour trip. The recovery time is clearly different from our previous match against Toronto, where we had more time between games.”
READ MORE: World Liberty Financial Partners with Pakistan Crypto Council to Revolutionize Digital Finance
Mascherano emphasized that with such a quick turnaround, changes will be made to the starting lineup as the focus now shifts to securing a victory against FC Dallas. Miami are coming off a 2-0 defeat to the Whitecaps in the CCC first leg, leaving them with the task of scoring at least twice in the second leg on Wednesday night.
Mascherano mentioned that Messi had some fatigue following the game, possibly due to the synthetic field used in Vancouver. “Messi finished the game well, but the synthetic grass can make a player feel more fatigued,” he said.
The Miami boss had previously described the semifinal match against Vancouver as one of the most important in club history, treating it like a final. Inter Miami reached the CCC semifinal for the first time after a dramatic 3-2 comeback win over LAFC, having been eliminated by CF Monterrey in the quarterfinals in 2024.
Despite their CCC aspirations, Mascherano made it clear that the immediate focus is now on FC Dallas. “We don’t have much time before the game tomorrow, so we are now thinking about Dallas and continuing our strong position in MLS,” he concluded.
