Soccer <\/p>\n
It was a moment to savor for fans around the world, and to feel some empathy for the defenders done dirty in the process.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
In this case, it was Lucas Sanabria<\/a> and Edwin Cerrillo<\/a> who suffered \u2013 \u2018posterized,\u2019 to borrow a term from the NBA \u2013 as Lionel Messi<\/a> returned from a two-week absence in characteristic fashion.<\/p>\n Entering at halftime after missing Inter Miami<\/a>\u2019s last two matches with a hamstring issue, the GOAT slalomed around the duo to uncork a trademark low strike from distance, then fed Luis Su\u00e1rez<\/a> an otherworldly no-look, heel-flick assist to provide the margin of victory in a 3-1 defeat<\/a> of the LA Galaxy<\/a> at Chase Stadium Saturday night.<\/p>\n The 45-minute cameo washed away the taste of Sunday\u2019s 4-1 Florida Derby thumping<\/a> at the hands of Orlando City<\/a>, inspired his teammates \u2013 Su\u00e1rez and Jordi Alba<\/a>, IMCF\u2019s other scorer, looked devastating on the night \u2013 and goosed the Herons back into the upper reaches of the standings.<\/p>\n Miami are now just a hair back of the leaders in both the Eastern Conference and Supporters\u2019 Shield races when calculated in points-per-game average to reflect IMCF\u2019s games in hand due to their FIFA Club World Cup<\/a> participation, and while they\u2019ve shown themselves to be a potent force without Messi, the power of his presence remains palpable.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was vital, I believe we\u2019re all conscious of that,\u201d head coach Javier Mascherano said in Spanish of the result postgame. \u201cI’ll repeat what I said last Sunday: You can lose matches, clearly, but it is not the image or the way we wanted to lose [at Orlando]. We wanted to demonstrate to ourselves that it was an accident, an aberration.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Perhaps most remarkably, it\u2019s not entirely clear that Messi is really, truly back from the injury.<\/p>\n The Argentine icon appeared to wince a bit after netting his game-winner, slightly favoring that troubled right leg \u2013 enough that reporters pressed Mascherano repeatedly for more information about the talisman\u2019s status ahead of a weighty Leagues Cup<\/a> quarterfinal showdown with Mexican titans Tigres UANL on Wednesday night (8 pm ET | MLS Season Pass, Apple TV+<\/a>, FS1, UniM\u00e1s).<\/p>\n \u201cWhat happens is that he is an extraordinary player,\u201d said the coach of his former teammate when asked what happens next. \u201cWhat you saw, I saw. Clearly, he wasn’t 100% comfortable. But the truth is, after a few minutes, he became looser and looser. We’ll see how he finished, how much fatigue.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the end, he’s two weeks post-injury. He had something minor; the three trainings that we had with him were good. And I repeat: the important thing is that he finished the match; I saw him improve through the minutes. He felt, he looked better. But at the end it\u2019s how he’s feeling tomorrow, how he wakes up.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Wednesday looms as an outsized occasion not just because of the trophy, prize money and Concacaf Champions Cup<\/a> spots on the line in Leagues Cup, but also due to the caliber of the opponent. Tigres are LIGA MX royalty, stacked with elite talent and well-versed in inflicting misery on MLS sides over the years. Miami would surely prefer to have Messi available for such a daunting test.<\/p>\n But many other tests await just beyond it, too, especially if they\u2019re serious about defending their Shield title. The Herons must fly north to Washington for a weekend visit to D.C. United<\/a> (7:30 pm ET | MLS Season Pass<\/a>), then travel for three of their five matches in September.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery game that we have is a final from now on,\u201d declared Mascherano. \u201cI have to generate the habit that every game from now until the end of the regular season is life or death. We have to win; if we must lose, the adversary has to really work for it, not be given it on a silver platter.\u201d<\/p>\n And in that context, Mascherano might deserve almost as much sympathy as the aforementioned defenders Messi shoved into a blender. Because it\u2019s his job to tell the star man when it\u2019s time to rest or be rotated with the long term in mind.<\/p>\n \u201cHe wants to play every single game,\u201d said Mascherano with a small shrug and a weary smile. \u201cHe wanted to play in Orlando, also. It was impossible. But it’s like this. You have to understand why Leo is Leo; because [he] always wants to be on the pitch. He’s happy there.<\/p>\n \u201cSo sometimes we try to explain to him, [we\u2019re] trying to go slowly. But in the end, when he feels good, he knows himself like no one [else]. So we tried to give him today some minutes to start to find a good feeling for the week, for Wednesday, for the next games.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\nShort-lived return?<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
Late-season grind<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n