Mascherano: Su Ya’s attitude in accepting substitutes is admirable and Messi’s performance without the ball is incredible

November 24th: In the MLS Eastern Conference semifinals, Inter Miami defeated FC Cincinnati 4-0 and advanced to the next round. Inter Miami coach Mascherano accepted an interview with the media after the game.

Victory over Cincinnati FC

I would like to dedicate this victory to our team equipment manager, because his father unfortunately passed away today, and it was the old man who brought me into the national team many years ago.

On nights like this, the entire team gets a workout, not just the starting eleven.

Suarez as substitute

Taking a player like Suarez out of the starting lineup was not an easy decision to make, and I must say his attitude towards accepting it was admirable. Suarez has shown great character, which may be difficult to understand in the short term when I make these decisions, but he sets a great example for his teammates.

It is not easy to remove a player who has scored 600 goals in his career from the starting lineup, but the outstanding performance of the players made this decision less difficult.

Team performance

I want to emphasize that as a coach, you can have the best tactical arrangements, but it is the players who ultimately execute these tactics. Credit should go to the players and the extraordinary courage they displayed on the field.

The message of victory is always positive, but more important is the way the game is played. Even if the results were different, I would still be proud. From the first minute of the game we knew we had to go all out to win and maintain our style of play.

Messi had 1 shot and 3 passes in this game.

It is an honor for me to coach Messi and this team. We all know Messi’s ability. His performance without the ball today was incredible - he is both the initiator of high pressure and the conductor of the team's offense.