Gerardo Martinotechnician Inter Miamihighlighted this Wednesday that the title of the MLS Supporters’ Shield can serve to “justify” why Lionel Messi’s team could keep the last ticket for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. “Today is not a minor issue because we begin to justify why Inter Miami could go to the Club World Cup. This is what gives me peace of mind,” he said in a press conference.
“Inter Miami, based on the names it has, could begin to be seen as a potential team to be elected. But to me it seems much more fair that we achieve that through sporting merits and today we have achieved that: having the sporting merit “he added.
The expanded FIFA Club World Cup, which will premiere in the summer of 2025, has a spot in the air that corresponds by invitation to the organizing country, in this case the USA. FIFA is in charge of deciding who the prize goes to. square and has not yet announced what the criteria will be.
Martino has not hidden from the media in the past that being in this new tournament is one of the Florida club’s objectives. With two days left to finish the regular season, Inter Miami was proclaimed champion of the MLS Supporters’ Shield after beating the Columbus Crew 2-3 with two fantastic goals from Messi and a goal from Luis Suárez.
This is the second trophy for Inter Miami in its brief history after the Leagues Cup it won in 2023. It is also the 46th title for Messi, who was already the most successful footballer in history (Dani Alves is next with 44 ). “Messi was decisive, yes,” stressed Martino. “It’s also a bit what happens when the team has that physiognomy. We, offensively, end up depending a lot on Leo and Luis,” added the coach.
moments of suffering
Martino has always praised the Columbus Crew (current champion of the MLS Cup and the Leagues Cup) as a splendid team, but this Wednesday he highlighted that his two goals came from “very strange” situations with rebounds and unfortunate plays for Inter Miami.
“We played acceptably the first half and an initial part of the second as well until, well, having the goal so close made us lose sight of the fact that we were playing with one more player and that superiority that we had with possession of the ball before of Camacho’s expulsion and the first minutes after the expulsion we began to lose it. And there we had to suffer,” he explained. “But hey, achieving goals has moments of good play and moments of suffering. It happens to everyone who can achieve something,” he added.
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The MLS Supporters’ Shield, which is won by the best team in the regular season, should not be confused with the MLS Cup, which is the most prestigious trophy in the United States and Canada and is awarded to the winner of the MLS playoff. . “The reality is that we have our mind set on being able to reach December 7, which is what we want,” said Martino, referring precisely to this year’s MLS Cup final.
