Javier Mascherano didn’t sugarcoat Inter Miami’s Champions Cup exit: ‘The opponent hurt us, and they ended up taking the tie.’ A heavy defeat leaves the team reeling. Was this a wake-up call for Miami, or a sign of deeper problems?
Javier Mascherano addressed the press following Inter Miami‘s painful elimination in the Concacaf Champions Cup semifinals. The defeat was not only hard to swallow because of the loss itself, but also due to the lopsided scoreline that ended their journey in the region’s most prestigious club competition.
The Argentine coach did not hide his sadness about the night’s result at Chase Stadium, stating that they paid dearly for the mistakes they committed in a match where they could not afford any lapses in concentration.
“Soccer is like that, especially in the semifinals,” Mascherano said. “In semifinals, details matter. You make two or three errors, the opponent ends up hurting you and they end up taking the tie.“
“The reality is that in Vancouver, they hit us at two opportune moments, and the last one hurt us a lot, with five minutes remaining. I think the reality is that in this type of knockout tie, you pay very dearly for mistakes. That’s the reality, because in front of us, we had a team with pedigree that wasn’t going to forgive you.” He didn’t explicitly say it, but the inference was that Inter Miami had given up the tie to a more clinical side.
Miami were comprehensively beaten by Vancouver Whitecaps with an aggregate score of 6-1. There was no hiding that they were completely outplayed and outsmarted.
Focus on unity and moving forward
The coach stated that now is not the time to point fingers at individuals within the team. On the contrary, he emphasized that this is a time for unity, as they are still in the 2025 MLS season and will also compete in the Club World Cup in a month and a half.
“Now, we are going through a bad moment, and we have to live with it. I’m not going to point to anyone because I’m not like that. Now is the time to help the players even more. As a player, I lived through this a lot.”
Looking ahead to MLS and Club World Cup
Mascherano acknowledged the disappointment of the Champions Cup exit but emphasized the need to refocus on their remaining goals.
“We have a lot to play for still this year. The MLS season is our priority right now, and we need to bounce back quickly. And of course, we have the Club World Cup coming up, which is a huge opportunity for this club. We need to learn from this experience and use it to grow as a team.”
