Following their semifinal defeat to Vancouver Whitecaps in the Concacaf Champions Cup, Inter Miami must quickly regroup and shift their focus to the challenges that lie ahead. Despite the disappointment of missing out on a continental title, the team has several important tournaments remaining this year.
While the Champions Cup was undoubtedly a major objective for Javier Mascherano’s squad, they still have opportunities to achieve championship success this year in other tournaments. The team is eager to take something from the season to demonstrate their growth as a squad, but questions need to be answered about whether it can possibly be done.
MLS playoff push
One of the championships where Inter Miami remains in contention is MLS. They currently sit near the top of the Eastern Conference standings (5th with 18 points) and are likely to qualify for the Playoffs. In knockout-style competitions, a team led by Messi is always a contender.
Their next match will be against New York RB on Saturday, May 3rd, at home. This game will provide an important barometer of the direction of the squad, because they had been on a steady climb until the shock defeat to the Whitecaps.
The game will not be the easiest, and it will be a reminder that in soccer anything can happen, but a positive result will at least restore some of the good vibes around the squad.
Facing global giants in the Club World Cup
But that’s not all they have to look forward to, as the Club World Cup awaits. The Florida-based team is in Group A, alongside Al Ahly, Porto, and Palmeiras. This is a competition featuring several European powerhouses, so Inter Miami’s expectations will be tempered.
However, they will aim to compete and potentially surprise some of the bigger teams, relying on their star players to perform well. Their debut will be on June 14th against the Egyptian side, and this represents an amazing opportunity for soccer in the US, and more specifically, Inter Miami.
see also
Mascherano on Inter Miami’s Champions Cup exit: ‘I won’t blame anyone’ and ‘We paid dearly for our mistakes’
Finally, there is a third competition on their schedule in the second half of the year: the Leagues Cup. They will first have to navigate a group stage against Atlas, Necaxa, and Pumas UNAM, all teams from Liga MX, and aim to repeat their title-winning performance from last year. Their debut will be in late July against Atlas. There will be more high profile matches in that game.
