Soccer <\/p>\n
Inter Miami CF<\/a> changed their head coach, chief soccer officer, a good chunk of their squad and even their kits this winter, with six players departing from last year\u2019s Supporters\u2019 Shield-winning side and 12 new faces arriving.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Old habits die hard for Lionel Messi<\/a> & Co., however, based on their 2025 MLS season opener vs. New York City FC<\/a> at Chase Stadium Saturday night, a wild affair that extended the Herons\u2019 tendencies towards chaotic drama.<\/p>\n \u201cThe reality is that with all the difficulties that we had during this game, there was more than one game within one match: everything favorable to us 15, 20 minutes in, and then everything was against us afterward,\u201d a philosophical Javier Mascherano told reporters in Spanish during his postgame press conference.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have to live with that.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Miami dominated their guests in the opening phases, a trademark, raking one-two combination between Jordi Alba<\/a> and Messi leading to a close-range tap-in for center back Tom\u00e1s Avil\u00e9s<\/a> just five minutes in.<\/p>\n Yet they suddenly found themselves under the gun when Avil\u00e9s \u2013 IMCF\u2019s runaway leader in both cautions (13) and ejections (2) last season \u2013 received a straight red card for denial of a goal-scoring opportunity, when he yanked down Alonso Mart\u00ednez<\/a> just after 23 minutes. NYCFC scored on the ensuing set piece, then surged ahead when Alba\u2019s astonishing backpass 10 minutes after halftime handed Mart\u00ednez a glorious one-on-one with goalkeeper Oscar Ustari<\/a>, which he converted clinically.<\/p>\n A 2-1 lead and a man advantage is nowhere near enough of a cushion when facing the GOAT, though. The Pigeons became the latest MLS opponents to learn this when Messi sliced through their lines, deep into the extensive second-half injury time, then slipped a subtle, devastating through ball into the path of debutant Telasco Segovia<\/a>, the young Venezuelan coolly lifting his finish over the advancing Matt Freese<\/a> and into the net to snatch a spectacular point for the hosts.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Golazo de Telasco tras un pase magistral de Leo Messi ????\u200d???? ???????????????????? pic.twitter.com\/W6j8DDM2kq<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) February 23, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n A wide-open 2-2 draw<\/a> with two galling breakdowns and recurring defensive jitters redeemed by two gorgeous Messi assists? Not a bad encapsulation of the IMCF experience.<\/p>\n \u201cHe’s the soul of this team,\u201d said Mascherano of Messi, his friend and former teammate with Argentina and FC Barcelona. \u201cYou saw this in the pitch. He is as a kid playing, and he doesn’t want to lose. So for us, he\u2019s a big, big advantage. So, we need to keep him with this spirit, you know, because it’s not just what he does on the pitch, it’s what he translates to his teammates, and all that he does.<\/p>\n \u201cWith his 37 years, he’s not just playing in attack, he helped us in defense, running the center back, running the holding midfielder. So it’s magnificent.\u201d<\/p>\n Mascherano elected to celebrate the team\u2019s fighting spirit rather than bemoan their self-inflicted wounds, nodding to the influence of the Herons\u2019 Concacaf Champions Cup<\/a> series vs. Sporting KC<\/a>, which opened with a 1-0 Messi-inspired win<\/a> in subzero temperatures in Kansas City on Wednesday and will conclude with Tuesday\u2019s second leg in South Florida.<\/p>\n If that equalizer had arrived just a bit sooner, he mused, they might have even pulled out a win.<\/p>\n \u201cI want to emphasize this, because I gave it a lot of value,\u201d said the Argentine manager. \u201cAt the end, we had two options: to not struggle, and think about Tuesday, or play \u2018til the end. And they decided to struggle to the end, and they had their recompense.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat do we have to improve? Well, there’s always a lot of things to improve, but we’ll do it behind closed doors. And I’ll repeat \u2013 more than that we’re screwed because we wanted to win the game at home, this is going to strengthen us.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n By assisting on @InterMiamiCF<\/a>‘s opening goal of the season, Lionel Messi became the fastest player in @MLS<\/a> history to reach 40 career goal contributions (21 goals, 19 assists), doing so in just 26 matches. pic.twitter.com\/AWBvYMrGnn<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 MLS Communications (@MLS_PR) February 23, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n The enduring excellence of Miami\u2019s \u2018Fab Four\u2019 of Messi, Alba, Luis Su\u00e1rez<\/a> and Sergio Busquets<\/a> is well known; what made last season particularly remarkable was the surprising extent of the contributions from youngsters and role players. Segovia\u2019s instant impact offers the Rosanegra hope of pulling off a similar balancing act again.<\/p>\n \u201cA very high-quality player, and we know what he can contribute, and that is why we decided to get him,\u201d Mascherano said of the 21-year-old attacker, signed from Portuguese club Casa Pia. \u201cHe’s very young. He has enormous potential, and I believe that when he came in, he did a very good game, he played very well.\u201d<\/p>\n The whole spectacle gave NYCFC\u2019s new coach Pascal Jansen a decent enough introduction to MLS life, even if he and his players had ample reason to rue letting victory slip through their fingers in the dying moments.<\/p>\n \u201cJust a little too short. I think my boys took on the challenge with a brave heart, and they were very courageous,\u201d Jansen said postgame. \u201cI think we controlled some parts of the game the way we wanted to, especially out of possession, even though they went down with one man.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n“The soul of this team”<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
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Hard-earned point<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
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Segovia saves the day<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n