Inter Miami head coach Javier Mascherano shut down the idea that the team performs better without Luis Suárez on the field, insisting he needs every single player on the roster in order to triumph over FC Cincinnati on Sunday and reach the Eastern Conference final.
The team advanced to the knockout stage of the MLS playoffs after defeating Nashville SC in the best-of-three Round One series, winning the decisive final game 4-0 without Suarez on the field.
The Uruguayan striker watched from the sidelines after MLS issued Suárez a one-game suspension for violent conduct.
“We have played 55 games this season, which we have won, I think, 31. And the majority, we have done so with Luis Suárez on the field. To be pointing out one player or another is not my style, not my way of working and it would be disrespectful to the career of Suárez and Luis as a player,” said Mascherano on Saturday.
“I have always said the same thing, for a team like ours with the long season we knew we would have from the beginning; to be successful and reach our targets we would need every player. And I continue to think the same way. The team needs everyone to keep advancing, like a coach, I will keep taking decisions according to what I think the game needs. There are no two games alike; Cincinnati is not Nashville. They play differently.”
Suárez contributed 10 goals and 10 assists in 28 regular season matches to propel Inter Miami to third place on the Eastern Conference table.
The club now prepares to travel to face FC Cincinnati at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio for the knockout match, in hopes to advance to the Eastern Conference final for the first time in club history.
When asked if Sunday’s match could be considered the most important since the team debuted in MLS, Mascherano laughed before disagreeing with the premise.
“We’ve spent the entire season saying that, the Concacaf Champions League semifinal, Club World Cup, it’s welcome that every time there is a more important game than the one we played previously,” said Mascherano.
The coach later emphasized that the thought of losing the game has not entered his mind, choosing instead to focus on the challenge of facing Cincinnati and preparing alongside his players.
“It’s not in my head to not win. The team has reached this part of the season in the best way, and I say that not only because of the level we have and have shown in previous round, in the day to day and the atmosphere the team has, how the team has trained.”
– 2025 MLS playoffs conference semis preview: Who makes the final four?
– Sergio Busquets on future of LaLiga abroad: Players want clarity
Inter Miami now enters the Eastern Conference semifinal with a mostly healthy roster after several players departed the club to participate in the November international window.
Lionel Messi and Rodrigo De Paul, who joined Argentina in a friendly against Angola, returned to regular training on Monday, while Ian Fray suffered a knock with the Jamaican national team to remain a doubt for Sunday’s game.
