MLS
Messi will increase MLS popularity, says Neymar
Paris St Germain striker Neymar Jr said he already knew Lionel Messi was going to join MLS side Inter Miami and predicted the U.S. top flight is set to change because of the popularity the Argentine will attract.
Messi, 35, announced on Wednesday that he plans to take his talents to South Beach after his contract with French champions expires at the end of this month.
“I already knew… Messi is one of my best friends, it’s a gift that football has given me to have the opportunity to meet him, play with him and then establish such a beautiful friendship,” Neymar said in an interview with ESPN Brazil on Sunday.
“I told him he’s going to be very happy for the city, for the lifestyle and for the opportunity to live and play here in Miami.
“I’m sure Leo is going to change the league in the United States. I think the league is going to be much more popular, so everybody has to take advantage and enjoy watching him play, because unfortunately nothing lasts forever,” he added.
The Brazil international and Messi’s former Barcelona and PSG team mate visited basketball player Jimmy Butler in Florida ahead of Friday’s Game 4 in the NBA Finals.
Butler, a six-time NBA All-Star, also said he is excited about Messi’s move to Inter Miami and that the Argentine World Cup champion will do a lot of good for U.S. soccer.
“Now that he’s here, I think all the football fans around the world are going to come and get a chance to see him compete. I’m glad he’s here,” he told reporters last week.
-Reuters
Inter Miami will be the last club Luis Suarez plays for, the Uruguay striker said on Thursday.
Suarez, 37, signed a contract with the Major League Soccer side last year for the 2024 season after a stint with Brazilian club Gremio.
He reunited with former Barcelona team mates Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, with whom he won four LaLiga titles in five years in Spain.
“Inter Miami will be my last club, my family already know that. I don’t have a date yet, but it’s the last step,” Suarez said in an interview with Uruguayan radio station Del Sol.
“I’m ready for this last challenge, but there is an inevitable fatigue and, in the end, I want to have quality of life in the future,” he added.
Suarez, who also played for clubs including Ajax Amsterdam, Liverpool and Atletico Madrid, has won 138 caps for Uruguay since 2007.
Inter Miami kick off their MLS campaign against Real Salt Lake on Feb. 21.
-Reuters
The Houston Dynamo defeated Inter Miami 2-1 to win the U.S. Open Cup on Wednesday with an injured Lionel Messi watching from the stands at DRV PNK Stadium.
Without Messi and his former Barcelona team-mate Jordi Alba, Miami struggled to compete with an enterprising Houston and went in 2-0 down at the break.
Houston grabbed the lead in the 24th minute with a perfect counter-attack ending with Brazilian Artur feeding the overlapping Griffin Dorsey who blasted in at the near post.
French forward Amine Bassi doubled the lead from the penalty spot nine minutes later after DeAndre Yedlin had brought down Nelson Quinones.
Houston thought that they had scored a third after the break but Quinones’ effort was ruled out for offside after a VAR review.
Substitute Josef Martinez gave Miami some late hope with a left-foot strike in stoppage time after latching on to a ball from Argentine Facundo Farias.
But despite some late pressure, it was too little, too late from Miami and Houston deservedly won their second U.S. Open Cup to add to their triumph in 2018.
Miami had won the Leagues Cup last month with Messi prominently involved but they must now battle to make the Major League Soccer play-offs with uncertainty over their Argentine star’s fitness.
-AFP
Inter Miami will wait until the “last moment” to see if Lionel Messi is fit to play in Wednesday’s U.S. Open Cup final against Houston Dynamo, coach Gerardo Martino said.
Messi was substituted in Inter’s league match against Toronto FC before halftime with an unspecified injury, and missed Sunday’s clash against rivals Orlando City.
The Argentina captain is a doubt for the U.S. Open Cup final when his team will aim to claim their second title after winning the Leagues Cup last month.
“We are going to wait for Leo until tomorrow, until the last moment,” Martino told a news conference on Tuesday. “I’m going to sit down with him, see what his feelings are (…) We’ll probably come to an agreement tomorrow.
“There are three issues here: there is the player, then the final, and then what comes next. We have to try to make the decision, there are always risks, but we have to reduce them.”
The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner has scored 11 goals and provided five assists in 12 games for Inter Miami since his arrival from Paris St Germain in July.
The Miami side are yet to lose with Messi on the pitch and Martino said he would not consider playing the 36-year-old if it were not a cup final.
“It’s 90 or 120 minutes that stand between you and a title,” said the Argentine boss. “It’s logical. If it was any other kind of game we wouldn’t take any risks.”
-Reuters
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