New England Revolution head coach Caleb Porter has said he won’t start any player who is too awestruck by Inter Miami superstar Lionel Messi.
Inter Miami will face the Revs at Gillette Stadium on Saturday, with a crowd of more than 60,000 expected for the MLS encounter.
“The guys are excited. It’s going to be a packed stadium. I think it’s the [second] largest attended soccer match in Boston sports history,” Porter said on 98.5 The Sports Hub.
“So, if you can’t get up for that type of game, if you can’t get excited, and if you can’t perform in that game, you shouldn’t be here.”
Though Porter is expecting his players to be excited, he also warned them about being too in awe of global superstars like Messi, Sergio Busquets and Luis Suárez.
“If they are [in awe], they shouldn’t be here,” Porter said. “You could every week be in awe of somebody in our league. We’ve got a lot of big-time players in our league.
“It’s similar to asking like, are you in awe in the NBA if you’re playing against LeBron James? If you are, you shouldn’t be in the NBA. I’m trying not to start any guys that I think might be in awe.
“After each game, you look at the guy that wants to get [Messi’s] jersey first. Not sure you want to be the guy asking for his jersey.”
Porter said that while a Messi jersey is a desirable souvenir, what he wants more than anything from Saturday’s game is three points.
“Would I love to get a jersey from Messi for my son? Yeah,” Porter said. “Would I love to just win the game and not get a jersey? Yeah, that’s mostly what I would love.”
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