Inter Miami CF head coach Javier Mascherano said his team are ready for a revenge-minded Nashville SC in their two-legged Concacaf Champions Cup round of 16 series, playing with “blood in their eyes” in Wednesday night’s clash at Geodis Park.
The two teams most recently faced off in the first round of the 2025 MLS Cup playoffs, with Inter Miami triumphing 2-1 in the best-of-three series to eliminate Nashville.
“It’s a tough, difficult game, as always when we play in Nashville. We know their fans will be putting on the pressure, and above all, we have to keep in mind that they’re a team with blood in their eyes,” said Mascherano on Tuesday.
“When you face a rival that we’ve fortunately eliminated and that helped us win the championship last year, and in previous seasons the club has even won finals against them, it’s clear that they’re going to want their revenge. So above all, we’re taking into account that we’re going to face a rival that has a great thirst for sporting revenge, clearly not for any other kind, and we have to be very prepared for that.”
Inter Miami will attempt to lift the Concacaf Champions Cup trophy, after struggling to do so in 2024 and 2025. The Herons reached the semifinals in the previous edition of the international competition before falling to the Vancouver Whitecaps 5-1 on aggregate.
“We’re not a team that chooses which competitions to play in; we’re obligated to compete in all of them,” said Mascherano. “Clearly, the Champions League is the only competition the club normally plays in that we’re missing, and it’s generating a lot of excitement for all of us. Now, what we can’t allow is for this to become an obsession. It’s one thing to be excited, another to be obsessed. When you’re obsessed with something, you’re likely to make mistakes.”
Miami captain Lionel Messi will also look to Wednesday night’s game to make history by potentially scoring his 900th career goal. The Argentine forward scored his 899th goal on Saturday night against D.C. United in MLS regular season action, leading Mascherano to label him, not for the first time, as “one of a kind.”
“Clearly, we don’t fully grasp the scale of it. Talking about him scoring 900 goals is insane, incredible for such a unique player. The truth is, I always end up saying the same thing: Leo’s numbers are amazing, but above all, statistics are the least important aspect,” said Mascherano.
“You can score a lot of goals, the key is how you do it, and he’s managed not only to reach incredible numbers in terms of goals and assists, but also because of what he contributes to the game itself, which I believe is much more important than his stats.”
The only player with more goals than Messi in the history of soccer is Cristiano Ronaldo, who has scored 965 across his career with club and country. Ronaldo has said repeatedly he wants to eclipse the 1,000 goal mark before he retires.
The second leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup round of 16 will be played on March 18 at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
