Inter Miami CF coach Javier Mascherano hopes Lionel Messi enters the 2025 Leagues Cup tournament with more motivation after serving a one-game suspension for missing the MLS All-Star Game, adding that the rest may have served the player well given the upcoming "marathon" of matches.
Miami kicks off its Leagues Cup campaign against Liga MX team Atlas at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Wednesday night.
"Regarding Leo, yes, let's hope he's super motivated. The reality is, well, obviously I said it after the Cincinnati game, we didn't expect the suspension. But, well, it's good for us," Mascherano said.
"And the reality is we had to give him a mandatory rest, after many consecutive games. I think in some ways the rest was also good for him to start this new marathon of games we're going to have ahead of the Leagues Cup and continuing with the MLS. So he's a little fresher."
The coach confirmed that both Jordi Alba and Messi should be available for the game on Wednesday, before making a joke about the suspension.
"If they don't suspend them, Jordi and Messi will be available."
New signing Rodrigo De Paul, who helped Argentina win the World Cup alongside Messi, still has not trained with the rest of the team as he awaits his visa, but Mascherano said as soon as the paperwork comes through he will be called up to the roster.
"We're waiting for them to arrive, let's say, for the paperwork to arrive so he can be called up. If he's cleared, he'll be called up," Mascherano said. "That's clear. Well, he's a player who can clearly give us different options. Everyone knows him.
"He's a kid who, due to his dynamic, can play inside and outside. Someone who understands and connects very well with Leo, who's our best player. That's also a huge advantage. Well, much more so. Rodrigo and Leo are very important players on their team, hopefully he'll be important for us as well."
Mascherano did not rule out the possibility of De Paul, who played with Atlético Madrid in the Club World Cup this summer, making his debut against Atlas, but emphasized the situation remains out of his control.
"For Rodrigo, while it's true he can't train with the group, he's been training separately," Mascherano added. "He's been training for the last few weeks. He's physically fine. Well, as soon as we have everything related to the permits to be able to work and play here, we'll bring him in."
Inter Miami lifted the inaugural Leagues Cup trophy in 2023 under former head coach Gerardo Martino, before falling in the 2024 round of 16 to the Columbus Crew.
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