Gerardo Martino, it is known, does not usually mince words when talking about football. And that was what he did this Friday, upon his arrival at Vancouverwhen the Canadian press confronted him to find out why Lionel Messi I had not traveled to play the game this Saturday Inter Miami will play against Whitecapson the 15th of the Major League Soccer. Meanwhile, the best footballer in the world continued training with a view to the two commitments he has before joining the Argentine National Team for the Copa América and later spent a great time with his eldest son, Thiagowho participated in an international tournament at Chase Stadium with the Under 12 team of the Florida franchise Academy.
“Yesterday, when we finished training, we met with the coaching staff and later I did it with the footballers and at that moment we determined that they (because of Messi, but also because of Luis Suárez and Sergio Busquets) were not going to be there. We immediately traveled and this is the first opportunity we have to express this resolution we have taken,” Tata Martino began.
In that sense, without avoiding the questions, he continued: “The reasons have to do exclusively with what we have this week. Normally, when these types of trips happen, I also speak from my experience in Atlanta, close games are combined so that the trip is not so tiring. In this case, immediately after, we have two home games (Atlanta United y Saint Louis City SC). And in the evaluation we understood that the most prudent thing was for them not to participate in this game.”
And he closed: “They continued with the training. They also trained this morning, they are going to train on Saturday and we want them to be prepared for what is coming this week. In the case of Busquets we must add that he is the footballer who has the most minutes in season and that we had to find a time to stop so that he could have a rest game. In his specific case, the most prudent thing was for this game to be in Vancouver.
Understanding the anger of the Vancouver fans, who had enormous expectations of seeing Messi live for the first time in their lives, the Rosario coach gave his opinion. “We understand people’s frustration. Above all because of their desire to see the footballers. We, the coaching staff, have to make these decisions that are uncomfortable because they obviously frustrate people. But, well, we have to fundamentally look after the institution, the team and our players. We made this decision because we believe it is the right one at this time,” he summarized.
Messi stayed in Miami and spent a nice time with his family. Photo: AFP
Martino’s explanation responds to the enormous expectation generated by Messi’s presence in a BC Place Stadium packed, with 55,000 seats full. Since Thursday night there has only been talk of requests for refunds of tickets, anger and sadness for not seeing La Pulga on the field. It was going to be the second game in Leo’s life playing in Canada: the previous one was a couple of weeks ago, when those from Miami beat Montreal with little of the Rosario star.
“While we have not received an official update on the availability of Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez and Sergio Busquets for this weekend, we understand that they will not be making this trip. “Unfortunately, we have no control over who plays for our opponent and it was important for us to communicate this to our fans as soon as possible,” Whitecaps FC executive director Axel Schuster had said on Thursday in statements published by the franchise’s official website. .
He continued: “We always want our best players to face our opponent’s best players, and facing players of the highest level was especially exciting for our team. We know there will be many disappointed fans as well. We remain committed to making this a special experience for everyone. It will continue to be an incredible atmosphere and celebration of football for our city. “We have incredible fans, we have a good team and Saturday’s game is a very important home game for us.”
To compensate for the absence of La Pulga and two of its main venues, the franchise decided to market all food and drink in the stadiums with a 50 percent discount. In addition, there will be free combos with children’s menus for those under 18 years of age.
Messi, in civilian clothes, applauded at the Chase Stadium. Photo: AFP
But Martino continued talking and He also responded to the query about a possible reprimand from the MLS authorities for the decision to remove Messi from those called up to play against Vancouver.
“There is no comment from the owners or the management regarding resolutions that have to do exclusively with the football aspect. There is no other reading because we understand what these footballers cause in the market, in the MLS, in the teams that they have to visit,” he reflected.
And he went deeper: “We sometimes have to take these types of measures that are sometimes unpleasant for people. But ultimately we understand that they are beneficial for the other teams as well as for the footballers. In any case we cannot be announcing for weeks in advance what our movements are going to be because sometimes things happen unexpectedly. This is not the case because we analyze it specifically because we have three games in the week. But, sometimes, untimely injuries happen that also mean that the players cannot participate. in certain games.”
The concern in the MLS is great because Saturday’s game will not be the only one that Messi will miss in the season. The world champion captain, recovered from the injury that had him suffering in recent months, is also preparing to join the Argentine National Team that will play in the Copa América in the United States between June 20 and July 14. However, he will already be included in the Scaloneta ranks for the friendlies against Ecuador, on June 9 in Chicago, and against Guatemala, on June 14 in Washington DC. In fact, his last game for Inter would be against Saint Louis, on June 1st.
“It is a calendar that we already knew in advance, as we always do. At the beginning of the season we analyze the calendar that we have ahead of us. We also understand that there are circumstances that I also mentioned previously that happen fortuitously and regarding the moment of the game and the trip, and we understood that especially this week we need to make these resolutions. Regarding the FIFA Date, I know that the MLS has adapted quite a bit and there are fewer matches than there normally are on FIFA Date.”
On the other hand, Martino implied that the long trip from Miami to Vancouver was one of the factors that influenced the decision. “Yes, or maybe have another visiting game that could have been Los Angeles or Kansas, something that is more within your reach. It is not the same to have gone to Montreal on a trip of three hours there and three hours back to then play with Orlando, which in this case is a 12-hour trip, and with a three-hour time difference. So this is also what we have to address,” he said.
In turn, he ruled out that the synthetic grass at BC Place was another of the factors taken into account when making the decision to rest Messi, Suárez and Busquets. “No, because in reality we went to Boston a few weeks ago, and both Luis [Suárez] with oil [Messi] They have participated in that meeting. What the league usually does is when there are games where a team has to travel a long distance, or there is no game during the week, or join two games in the same place or in a nearby area. In this case that has not happened, but it is not a complaint. I repeat: we knew this from the beginning of the season, we knew the calendar perfectly, and at this moment we have had to make this decision. “It doesn’t seem strange to me when there are many MLS teams that do exactly the same thing.”
Messi and Suárez went to bench the Inter Miami kids
Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez were the luxurious guests at a youth tournament organized by Inter Miami at Chase Stadium. It was the Youth International Cup, for minor categories between 9 and 19 years old. Among the players was Thiago, the firstborn of the best in history, who showed all the talent that he inherited in the genetic load, in a match in which he played for the Las Garzas Sub 12 against Orlando City
Thiago Messi shouts a goal for his team. Photo: AFP
The world champion captain came from the hand of Thiago, who is 11 years old and has been playing since he arrived in the franchise’s minor divisions. On the other side, Lucho Suárez was seen with the captain of the rival team.
Thiago and Lionel Messi on one side and Luis Suárez and the captain of Orlando City. Photo: AFP
“How nice to see this. It is a pleasure to have them here at home, that we can enjoy this moment, this experience. I know the sacrifice that parents make, every day, taking them to training, to games, to tournaments like this We have to do everything possible to make these kids happy. Football is happiness, it is very nice to be here. I hope they enjoy it, beyond the result, I want them to have a pleasant moment, with their friends and their families. “Let it be an experience that lasts a lifetime,” said Messi, who took the microphone to give a heartfelt speech after high-fiving all the protagonists of the match.
Messi took the microphone and gave a short speech. Photo: AFP
It will be a busy weekend for Thiago. The next group stage matches of the tournament will be played on Saturday and Sunday. And all the finals will be played on Monday.
Thiago Messi maneuvers against Nash Norris’ mark. Photo: AFP
2024-05-25 01:20:34
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