Inter Miami Dominates Pumas, Clinch Leagues Cup Knockout Berth

Written by Patrick Echatah

Trailing 1-0 at halftime without their star player, Lionel Messi, Inter Miami faced a difficult situation in their Leagues Cup match against Pumas UNAM.

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They needed to win to advance to the knockout stage. However, they turned the game around, securing a 3-1 victory and becoming the first MLS team to reach the quarterfinals.

Newcomer Rodrigo De Paul was a standout in the midfield. Luis Suárez also had a great performance, ending his nine-game scoring drought with a penalty kick goal and two assists.

“I’m happy for Luis, because we were talking last week about how difficult it is for a striker when they don’t score goals,” coach Javier Mascherano, who in recent weeks has repeatedly been asked why he’s still playing his former teammate amidst his slump, said postgame.

“Today, for me, he had a very, very good performance, not just for the goal, but because of the assists, the movement, all the things that he gives to the team.”

After Messi’s recent hamstring injury, his Inter Miami teammates—including Suárez, De Paul, Jordi Alba, and Sergio Busquets—stepped up in his absence.

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This group, often called ‘Messi & Friends,’ adjusted to a new formation from Mascherano and took on different roles to secure a victory against Necaxa’s Los Felinos.

“I’m very grateful, because I know that they work hard,” said Mascherano. “Sometimes, as I told before, things can [be] going well, and sometimes can [be] going wrong, but at the end, you have to see how they try to do the things, and they try to help all the time their teammates, the team, to me also.

“This is because we have excellent players with a lot of quality, but also because they are trying all the time to do their best.”

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