This Saturday, July 27 (8 p.m., TV: Apple TV), Inter Miami will begin the defense of its Leagues Cup crown when it faces Club Puebla of Mexico’s Liga MX at Chase Stadium.
Their second and final match of the group stage will be next Saturday, August 3 (8 pm) against Tigres UANL, at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas.
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The pink-black club, which last year won the first edition of this cup between Liga MX and MLS teams, is in Group N and hopes to start this new tournament on the right foot with a victory against Puebla, ranked 18th in the Mexican league.
Then he would play for his pass with Tigres (3rd).
The Miami team is currently the best in the MLS with 53 points, after winning six of its last seven games without its star Leo Messi, among other absences.
Messi injured his right ankle after playing in the Copa America where Argentina defended the title of champion, and now he will have to wait to be able to recover and return to the playing field at full capacity.
Leo is ruled out for these two games and the MLS All-Star Game on July 24.
At the earliest, he could reappear for the semi-finals and final of this Leagues Cup if Inter Miami manages to advance.
Otherwise, he is expected to return on August 24 when MLS resumes, in a rematch at home against Cincinnati.
Miami coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino would do well not to take any risks in this Leagues Cup with Leo or with many of the starters who have already played many games under their belts, such as Drake Callender, Sergio Busquets, Julian Gressel, Jordi Alba, Luis Suarez, etc.
Rather, they would be games to get some kind of rhythm for players who have been injured or called up to their national teams, such as Matias Rojas, Ian Fray, or Fede Redondo, and the opportunity for others who are in full growth, such as Jannick Bright, Leo Afonso or even some other Inter Miami II players.
For the Miami club, winning this tournament again should not be a priority when the important thing is to win the MLS championship this year.
This doesn’t mean that if they reach the semi-finals they won’t come out with all their might.
Inter Miami should rather take advantage of this month-long break from the league to rest, consider alternatives, and keep the team well-oiled to face the final stretch and the upcoming playoffs.
For now, Suarez will not be at the All-Star Game this Wednesday in Columbus, Ohio, due to “knee discomfort.”
The Uruguayan striker and Messi were listed as unavailable for the match on Monday, but Alba and Busquets will participate.
Meanwhile, Benjamin Cremaschi will play for the United States at the Paris Games, and Diego Gomez will play for Paraguay.
The latter is still waiting for Premier League side Brighton to show interest in signing him.
The pink-black club is coming off a 2-1 victory over the Chicago Fire last Saturday in a great match at Chase Stadium with goals from Rojas and Alba. Bright was named Player of the Match.
Before kick-off, Inter Miami paid tribute to their captain Messi after winning his 45th career title after winning the Copa America.
Martino’s team hopes to announce the signing of Paraguayan central defender David Martinez from River Plate shortly to replace Nicolas Freire, who is out with an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
The club is currently cautious, even though negotiations are quite advanced.
