Inter Miami head coach Javier Mascherano assured there would be no leftover tension between the club and the Seattle Sounders on Tuesday night when the teams off at Chase Stadium, insisting what transpired following the Leagues Cup final on Aug. 31 is a “done deal.”
Inter Miami fell 3-0 to the Sounders in the Leagues Cup final before a brawl broke out following the final whistle, with Sergio Busquets punching Seattle Sounders player Obed Vargas and Luis Suárez spitting on a member of the opposing team’s staff.
Players from both teams received sanctions for their actions, with Busquets, Suárez and Tomás Avilés receiving match suspensions from Inter Miami by the Leagues Cup disciplinary committee to be served in the next edition of the tournament.
Suárez then received an additional three-game ban from MLS for his behavior, making the player unavailable for Tuesday’s game against the Sounders.
“No, no, that’s in the past. Games don’t repeat themselves, even if we face the same opponent, it’s a different type of game due to a different competition, different circumstances, and different context,” Mascherano said on Monday.
“What’s important for us is trying to play a good game and, above all, get a good result, so we can get a win again to get back into the top positions and, above all, to rebuild the confidence this team has had.”
Suárez and Inter Miami made public statements condemning the actions that transpired at the Leagues Cup final.
“What happened the other day with Seattle, we’ve already talked about it. For me, it’s a done deal because, well, the sanctions have already been imposed,” Mascherano said.
Now, Miami look to turn the page and recover from losing the final and the most recent MLS game against Charlotte FC 3-0 on Saturday night. But the Herons must recuperate without several key figures on the field, as Mascherano insists injuries continue to plague the roster.
– Messi tracker: Goals, assists, key moments for Inter Miami
– Inter Miami’s Mascherano rues Suárez ban for spitting incident
– MLS gives Luis Suárez 3-game ban for spitting incident
“It’s a drama. Clearly, the squad is what it is. Unfortunately, today we’ve found ourselves in a situation we’ve already experienced in other stages of the season, where between suspensions and injuries, we’ve accumulated five or six absences,” Mascherano said.
“It’s a lot, a lot for this stage of the season, a lot for the number of games we have to play in such a short time, but it is what it is, and well, I’m not here to make excuses.”
Mascherano even insisted the roster may be worse than the one from Saturday’s game against Charlotte.
“We’re still the same, we might even be a little worse,” he said.
In addition to those absent from the past weekend like Fafà Picault, David Ruiz, Allen Obando and Baltasar Rodriguez, Telasco Segovia was not involved in the first 15 minutes of training on Monday morning.
