INTER MIAMI
minute.
“What Leo did is what he always does, how he affects our team, all his teammates, the fans, and the most important thing is he felt comfortable, he felt good, he felt loose, and that’s why it’s a shame to have to give up two points,” said Inter Miami coach
Tata Martino.
The coach was dismayed that the team gave up the tying goal so late in the game, which has been a team weakness. Colorado scored its first goal in the closing minutes of the first half, when Miami center back Ryan Sailor brought down Colorado winger Kevin Cabral in the box for a penalty. Striker Rafael Navarro converted the PK.
Miami dropped to third place in the Eastern Conference standings with 12 points in eight games (three wins, two losses, three ties), behind New York Red Bulls with 14 points in seven games and Philadelphia with 12 points in six games.
“We continue to commit errors that make us leave points in our wake,” Martino said. “Winning a game 2-1 in the 87th minute, and for them to score on a counterattack is not normal. Not having a good reading of the game, of the moment. Not having people in front of the attacker..it definitely cost us.”
Messi returned to the active roster Saturday after missing four games in a row, but he was on the bench for the start of the home game, along with his former Barcelona teammates Luis Suarez, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets.
Martino benched most of his regular starting lineup for the league game, which is sandwiched between the two legs of the Champions Cup quarterfinal series against Mexican club Monterrey. Miami lost the first game 2-1 on Wednesday and the teams meet again Wednesday in Monterrey.
Messi had not played since March 13 due to a hamstring strain. The eighttime Ballon d’Or winner missed three league games, two Argentina national team friendlies and the first leg of Monterrey Champions Cup series.
Martino said the plan was to have Messi play limited minutes against Colorado if he felt up to it.
“We know it was a risk for him to play the first game against Monterrey [Wednesday],” Martino said. “We knew, well we planned, because there are variables, that he would play some minutes today. We thought 30-45 minutes.
He felt good. This helps us to arrive at the game [against Monterrey] next Wednesday with more confidence regarding his injury.”
Miami was missing Robert Taylor, who strained a hamstring and is expected to miss 10 days. By the end of the game, Busquets,
Alba and Marcelo Weigandt had come on as subs.
Inter Miami’s starting lineup on Saturday including at least five players who make less than $100,000 per year. Martino said the team’s inexperience has hurt at key moments this season.
“Experience is something you can’t buy,” he said. “That comes from what you learn from all the games you play. That’s why we tried to put together a roster that we were not able to enjoy tonight, to have players with more international experience, understanding what kind of games you are going to play, players who commit fewer errors.
“But we have no choice because we have a lot of injuries. We used a completely different roster to start tonight. We hoped to stay even the first half and then have the second half in our favor, and that’s what happened. But … that bad play at the end is what hurt us.”
MARTINO DOWNPLAYS MONTERREY ‘TELENOVELA’
Messi returned to the roster amid a controversy involving the Argentine star and Mexican club Monterrey, Miami’s quarterfinal opponent in the Champions Cup.
Monterrey filed a formal complaint with CONCACAF against Inter Miami on Thursday regarding a heated verbal exchange between Messi and Monterrey coach Fernando “Tano” Ortiz in a Chase Stadium hallway after Inter Miami’s loss on Wednesday night.
The complaint also mentions Suarez and Alba, who supported Messi in the dispute, according to Mexican media reports and reports by tournament rights-holders TUDN and Fox Sports journalist Fernando Schwartz.
Monterrey is seeking sanctions against the team and the players involved and would like a resolution before the second and decisive leg of the twogame series April 10 in Monterrey.
Martino would not comment on the off-field clash. Asked if Inter Miami would be seeking revenge, the coach replied: “No, no revenge. This has nothing to do with … I am not interested in all that. If we win, we win. If we lose, we come home and focus on the league. All the rest, the telenovela, that is not our focus.”
Martino said he hopes Messi will be able to start against Monterrey on Wednesday.
“The idea is for Messi to start,” he said. “He played 45 minutes tonight, we know how difficult the next game will be. The most important thing is he came back, he felt good, he scored.”
The argument with the Monterrey coach was apparently fueled by an Ortiz interview in the days leading to Wednesday’s game suggesting that the officiating could be biased in favor of Inter Miami because Messi is on the team and he drives business.
“Everything that surrounds Messi can lead to sporting and non-sporting decisions,” the Monterrey coach said.
Asked if he thought his club would be at a disadvantage, he said: “Obviously, I don’t know if it would harm us, but we all know sports is business and the business is not about us. In terms of things on the field we are going to do what we must do to win. Afterwards, I can’t handle other things.”