WHAT HAPPENED?
The Herons have returned to domestic action after gracing the FIFA Club World Cup. They rewrote the record books there by beating European opposition in the form of Porto and reaching the last-16 - before coming unstuck against Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain.
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Messi was back among the goals when facing Montreal, as he bagged a brace in a 4-1 win, with the Herons sat sixth in the Eastern Conference - 10 points adrift of table-topping Cincinnati but boasting four games in hand.
GettyWHAT MASCHERANO SAID?
Inter Miami set a new points total record when lifting the Supporters’ Shield in 2024, but the intention is to land the ultimate prize 12 months on. Mascherano has said: “Our motivation now is to compete in our league, and to achieve something this club has been aiming for year after year. We want to get as far as we can, qualify for the play-offs, be in position to have home field advantage, and from there we’ll see what happens at the end of October.”
DID YOU KNOW?
Inter Miami still have six games on their schedule in July, including the start of another Leagues Cup campaign, with Mascherano adding on squad management: “Clearly, we have a lot of games coming up, plus all the ones we have already played, so we will need everyone to participate. We’ll see how we can manage some roster changes without feeling it too much because I don’t like to change six or seven players from one match to the other.”
AFPWHAT NEXT FOR INTER MIAMI?
Inter Miami are hoping that Messi will soon offer them another boost by agreeing to trigger the extension option in his contract for 2026, with the Argentine GOAT currently free to enter into talks with any interested parties as his deal in South Florida runs down.