Inter Miami are set to face Columbus Crew on Saturday at Cleveland Browns Stadium in a pivotal match for the 2025 MLS season. With the Herons looking to climb back to the top of the Eastern Conference, head coach Javier Mascherano addressed Lionel Messi’s availability ahead of the game.
Following a scoreless draw last week against the Chicago Fire, Inter Miami dropped to fourth in the standings, unable to find the back of the net despite Messi, Luis Suarez, and Sergio Busquets playing the full 90 minutes. Nearly a week later, Mascherano gave a promising update when asked about the availability of his stars:
“The idea is to go with the best possible team, and if everyone is available, we’ll go all in. Then we’ll see if we rotate in any position or not, but it’s a very important game for us, and we’re looking to play it seriously,” the coach stated to the media on Friday.
Since the season began on February 19, Inter Miami have played 13 matches—averaging just four days between games. Mascherano emphasized the importance of managing player workloads given the tight schedule: “We know we have to manage workloads because we’ve had a very demanding calendar over the past two months.”
South Florida’s club is entering yet another intense stretch, with a Champions Cup semifinal clash against the Vancouver Whitecaps coming up on Thursday. With such a packed schedule, proper rotation and planning will be critical to avoid setbacks against Columbus Crew.
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Potential June signings?
One of Inter Miami’s biggest challenges early in the season has been a lack of squad depth compared to 2024. The issue has become apparent in matches where Mascherano had few options off the bench to change the course of the game.
With the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup on the horizon, FIFA and MLS have approved a special transfer window from June 1–10, allowing teams to bolster their rosters. Mascherano expressed his openness to new signings—but with clear conditions:
“We’re always open to whatever may happen in the market. Until the window closes, I always believe an opportunity could come up. But the idea is that if someone comes in, it’s to strengthen us and make us better—not just to bring someone in for the sake of it.”
However, he pushed back against the idea of signing a player solely for the Club World Cup. “Both FIFA and MLS have approved this transfer window, but my view is that if a player comes, it should be for the entire season—not just for the Club World Cup. That would be disrespectful to those who have been with me since day one,” Mascherano stated.
