Inter Miami head coach Javier Mascherano has confirmed he will use the friendly against Independiente del Valle on Thursday night as an opportunity to give all players some minutes on the field despite returning to Major League Soccer regular-season action just 72-hours later.
The Herons will play the rescheduled preseason friendly in Puerto Rico on Thursday night before traveling to Orlando on Sunday to face Orlando City.
“This game clearly gives us the opportunity to, first, give minutes to guys who have perhaps had fewer minutes in the preseason and in the last game we played. But yes, we’re going to try to give everyone playing time,” Mascherano said on Thursday morning.
“We need to give the whole squad some opportunities.
“Obviously, being careful because then, in 72 hours, we have a very important game, where beyond the loss against LAFC, those of us who have been here at Inter Miami for a while know that regardless of a loss or a win, the next game is always the most important, and the next game is always the one we have to win.”
Inter Miami was originally set to face Independiente del Valle on Feb. 13, before the club, in collaboration with the event promoter and government of Puerto Rico, opted to postpone the event after Lionel Messi suffered a hamstring strain.
“Hi everyone, I wanted to send this message to the people of Puerto Rico and all the people that will be going to the training session and game,” Messi said in a video.
“To be honest, during the last game in Ecuador I concluded with a muscle strain, which is why I left the field early. So, together with the people of the organization and Inter Miami it was decided to suspend this game. We hope it can be reprogrammed, and we can see each other.
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Visit you soon. Sending a hug to you all and thank you for all the love that you always give. I hope we can do it in the future, all the best.”
Messi has since returned to action, playing the full 90 minutes in the team’s MLS season opener against Los Angeles FC on Feb. 21.
Mascherano later emphasized that he’ll use the friendly in Puerto Rico to prepare the players for Orlando City at the weekend.
“We’re trying to use today’s match, beyond the fact that it’s a friendly, to see certain things, to see players we perhaps haven’t had the opportunity to see in terms of playing time, and use this game to prepare for the match on Sunday,” he said.
Mateo Silvetti, however, stands as the only player mentioned by Mascherano to be in doubt for the game after he suffered a strain over a week ago. The coach confirmed the team will evaluate his condition before deciding whether he features against Independiente del Valle.
