The gang takes in a Miami Heat game

The Inter Miami stars couldn’t inspire the Heat to victory in Game 4

Some of Miami’s biggest sports stars were out on Monday night, but those of the soccer-playing variety were unable to inspire the basketball-playing ones to victory.

Inter Miami stars Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba were all in the house for Game 4 of the Miami Heat’s first-round playoff series against the Boston Celtics.

But the visitors would end up cruising to a 102-88 win at the Kaseya Center, taking a 3-1 edge in the best-of-seven series.

It was some measure of revenge for the Boston area, after Inter Miami took down the New England Revolution 4-1 over the weekend. Messi scored a brace in the win, taking him to nine goals in just seven MLS games this season.

The Heat made sure to highlight the presence of the ex-Barcelona stars on their social media, showing all four players arriving through the VIP entrance.

Messi donned a Canadian tuxedo for the event, while Suárez opted for the archetypical attire for any superfan: a personalized jersey.

Messi also posted on his personal account after the game, showing his three sons decked out in the same personalized jersey as Suárez — with the No. 10 instead of the No. 9 of course.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C6YtQW3tz-y/?hl=en&img_index=1

The Heat will have to win Game 5 in Boston on Wednesday night to give the Inter Miami stars another chance to attend a home game this season. Should the Heat win, Game 6 would be back in Miami on Friday night.

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Cremaschi leaning toward USMNT after exclusion from Argentina Olympic plans

The USMNT is getting close to locking down a highly regarded dual national

More and more, Benjamin Cremaschi sees his international future with the United States.

Born and raised in Florida to Argentine parents, the Inter Miami midfielder has been involved with both Argentina and the U.S. at the youth level.

Last fall, the 19-year-old was called into the U.S. senior national team for the first time, earning his first cap in a friendly against Ghana.

Cremaschi hasn’t been involved with Argentina since a call-up to a U-20 camp in December 2022, and a recent conversation with Argentina U-23 coach Javier Mascherano appears to have pushed the midfielder even closer to U.S. Soccer.

Cremaschi was interviewed on Argentine radio station Urbana Play 104.3 FM, and was asked if he’d had any conversations with Argentina senior national team head coach Lionel Scaloni.

“I haven’t spoken to Scaloni, I spoke with [Mascherano],” Cremaschi said. “The truth is he was very honest with me. He said he wants the best for me. It wasn’t an egotistical conversation and I’m very thankful for it.”

Asked if he would consider a call-up to Argentina if it ever came, Cremaschi replied: “Yes, but [Mascherano] had things clear. He told it to me in the best way and I understood him perfectly, so I’m leaning toward the United States.”

With Mascherano apparently not considering Cremaschi for a spot on his 18-player roster for the Olympics this summer, the Inter Miami midfielder said he was hoping that he would be selected for the United States roster.

“I hope it’s my turn to go,” he said of an Olympic place.

Cremaschi missed the first two months of the 2024 season after undergoing surgery on a hernia, but has recently returned for Inter Miami. He scored his first goal of the season on Saturday as the Herons beat the New England Revolution 4-1.

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Revs coach Porter: I won’t start any player in awe of Messi

The coach doesn’t have time for any starstruck players on his team

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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Martino insists turf won’t stop Messi, Suarez from playing at Revs

The Inter Miami stars both appear set to play in front of a huge Gillette Stadium crowd on Saturday

The artificial turf at Gillette Stadium will not prevent Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez from playing in Inter Miami’s match at the New England Revolution, according to head coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino.

A crowd of more than 60,000 is expected in Foxborough on Saturday, as Boston-area fans get their chance to see Inter Miami’s stars in action.

Martino’s words at Friday’s press conference will be reassuring to those fans, who appear set to see most of Inter Miami’s big names — save for the injured Jordi Alba — take on the Revs in a MLS matchup.

“The players are all available, and those who are healthy will travel. We will see the formation to face the New England Revolution a little later,” Martino said. “We previously played on artificial turf at Charlotte last year, and had no problem.”

After signing with Miami last year, Messi shrugged off any concerns that he would skip matches on turf.

“I did all of my youth career on artificial turf,” Messi told reporters last August. “It’s been a long time since I played on turf, but I don’t have a problem with it.”

Messi played the full match on Charlotte FC’s turf field in October, as the Herons fell 1-0 at Bank of America Stadium.

Despite his well-documented knee issues, Suárez also looks set to play on Saturday after beginning his MLS career with six goals in nine games.

New signing Matías Rojas will be available to make his Inter Miami debut, but Alba will continue to sit as he recovers from a hamstring strain.

“Matías Rojas forms part of the roster and will travel with the team to face New England Revolution. But Jordi Alba will not travel. I said last week that he wouldn’t be available against the Revolution, but starting next week we will monitor him game by game,” Martino said.

New England Revolution vs. Inter Miami (MLS)

  • When: Saturday, April 27
  • Where: Gillette Stadium (Foxborough, MA)
  • Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
  • Channel/streaming: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV (WATCH LIVE)

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Messi pays tribute to Vilanova on 10th anniversary of ex-Barcelona coach’s death

The title-winning coach died in 2014 at the age of 45 after battling cancer

Lionel Messi paid tribute to Tito Vilanova on Thursday, the 10th anniversary of the former Barcelona manager’s death.

Vilanova passed away on April 25, 2014 after a three-year battle with cancer. He was 45.

Messi played under Vilanova for several seasons at Barcelona. Vilanova served as an assistant coach for four years, before taking charge as head coach after Pep Guardiola left in 2012.

Vilanova led Barcelona to the La Liga title in 2012-13, as the Blaugrana amassed 100 points to set a new league record. He was forced to announce his departure as coach in July 2013 following a relapse of his cancer.

Messi posted a tribute to the late coach on his Instagram story on Thursday, saying: “10 years already, we won’t forget you Tito.”

Vilanova’s former assistant at Barcelona, Jordi Roura, revealed in 2019 that the coach helped convince Messi to stay at the club just six days before his death.

“Tito was at a delicate stage and Leo wasn’t convinced about his continuity,” Roura told Radio Kanal Barcelona.

“They met and although I wasn’t there, I know they spent a number of hours talking. Messi decided to stay and we hope that he will for many more years.”

Messi would stay for two years after that, before joining PSG and ultimately his current side Inter Miami.

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Messi’s bodyguard shows sprinter speed to eliminate pitch invader

Yassine Chueko showed the speed and awareness of a lethal No. 9

If Inter Miami is ever short on players, Yassine Chueko looks like he would at least have the speed to get a job done.

Chueko, better known as Lionel Messi’s bodyguard, showed the speed and awareness of a lethal No. 9 during Inter Miami’s game against Sporting Kansas City on Saturday, flying off the touchline as a pitch invader closed in on Messi for a selfie.

More than 72,000 fans were in attendance at Arrowhead Stadium as Inter Miami defeated Sporting KC 3-2 in a thrilling match.

Messi was the star of the show, notching an assist and a stunning goal as the Herons took home three points. On Monday, the Argentina legend was named the MLS player of the week.

Chueko also had a big night on Saturday, as the match was delayed multiple times due to fans charging onto the pitch.

In one instance, Chueko had a lot of ground to cover — and he did so with impressive haste.

Watch Messi’s bodyguard sprint onto the field

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WATCH: Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes daps up Lionel Messi after Sporting Kansas City loss

#Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes shared a moment with soccer superstar Lionel Messi after Sporting Kansas City’s loss to Inter Miami on Sunday.

For the first time in years, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ celebrity was rivaled at Arrowhead Stadium.

On Sunday night, soccer superstar Lionel Messi took the field for Inter Miami against Sporting Kansas City in an alternate venue contest that drew one of the biggest crowds in MLS history.

Mahomes was seen dapping up Messi after Sporting Kansas City’s loss, exchanging pleasantries with the Ballon d’Or winner in the locker room after the game.

Mahomes, who has proven to be an avid soccer fan, seemed at ease with Messi in the building. Despite Sporting’s 3-2 loss to Inter, no bad blood was brewed between the three-time Super Bowl MVP and Messi, who was clearly pleased to see that the Chiefs quarterback was in attendance.

Legendary meetings like this only happen once in a blue moon, and while Mahomes still has a way to go before equaling or surpassing Messi’s name recognition, this encounter is sure to have put him on the radar of many soccer fans around the world.

Suarez tries to break Monterrey defender’s arm, gets away with it

The Uruguayan took out his frustration on the defender’s arm, somehow getting away with it

Luis Suárez was getting frustrated in Wednesday’s game at Monterrey, so he decided to take it out on Víctor Guzmán’s arm.

The Inter Miami star was caught on camera performing a MMA move on the Monterrey defender, and somehow escaped without punishment. Almost as miraculously, Guzmán also escaped without injury.

Miami travelled to Monterrey for the second leg of a Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinal, looking to overturn a 2-1 deficit from the first leg.

Even with Lionel Messi back from injury, things weren’t looking great for the Herons near the end of the first half. Brandon Vazquez scored the opener for Monterrey 31 minutes in, taking advantage of a Drake Callender error to make it 3-1 on aggregate.

With just minutes left in the half, Suárez took out his frustration on the unwitting Guzmán. With the ball long gone, the Uruguayan grabbed the defender’s arm and twisted him to the ground — a maneuver that wouldn’t be out of place in the octagon.

Even with plenty of quality replays available, there was no VAR review and the game continued.

Monterrey went on to win 3-1 on the night, and 5-2 on aggregate, advancing to the semifinal where it will face the Columbus Crew.

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Inter Miami crumbles under Monterrey pressure, crashing out of Concacaf Champions Cup

Messi’s return didn’t prevent another instance of Miami losing its composure against Los Rayados

Inter Miami’s dreams of worldwide glory will have to wait another year.

Lionel Messi’s return was not enough for Miami, who boiled over en route to a 3-1 second-leg defeat in its Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinal against Monterrey.

Just like in the first leg, the Herons finished with 10 men — Jordi Alba was sent off after the damage was already done — and Los Rayados would end up strolling to a 5-2 aggregate win thanks to goals from Brandon Vazquez, Germán Berterame, and Jesús Gallardo.

Coming off of a 2-1 Monterrey win at Chase Stadium, Miami and Monterrey settled into an unsurprising pattern: the slower but technically gifted visitors looking to use possession to unlock the hosts’ defense, while Los Rayados emphasized counter-attacking play from a mid-block.

“I think that the players understood where the game was going,” Monterrey manager Fernando Ortiz told reporters after the game, explaining his use of a 4-4-2 diamond in defensive phases. “We knew that they were going to dominate the game with the ball, and we wanted them to feel desperate, close the spaces, so that they couldn’t find the internal [passes] that has damaged so many rivals.”

Miami may have been trying to replicate what the Columbus Crew had done on Tuesday in knocking off Tigres, but the Herons could only end up copying the wrong aspects of that performance.

Drake Callender — as Crew goalkeeper Patrick Schulte did the night before — got it all wrong with the ball at his feet, gifting possession to the opponent’s most dangerous goalscorer.

For Monterrey, that’s Vazquez, and the U.S. men’s national team prospect quickly punished the mistake to give Monterrey a two-goal aggregate edge.

Beyond the goal, an otherwise plodding first half offered two talking points: the dreadful pitch conditions at Estadio BBVA, and Luis Suárez wrenching Víctor Guzmán’s arm to a painful angle.

The former slowed possession for both teams down to a crawl in certain areas, with divots popping up all over the field. The latter was not spotted by the officiating crew, and somehow evaded a VAR check, much less an actual punishment.

That might have been more of a flashpoint when Suárez scored shortly thereafter thanks to a flick from Messi, but the Uruguay star was correctly called offside.

In the end, Miami probably needed the lucky break that would have been an illegitimate goal. Monterrey came out of the locker room and thoroughly dominated the start of the second half. After a slew of chances, the Liga MX powers finally found a critical second on the night via a blistering strike from Berterame.

“I believe that what got us out of the game is the second goal, 15 minutes into the second half,” admitted Miami boss Gerardo “Tata” Martino. “I think at that time, we lost our way, we were [already] eliminated.”

Miami was adrift, and another giveaway at the back ended the already remote hopes of a late comeback.

This time, Diego Gómez’s attempt to switch fields was instead slammed directly into Gallardo, who just kept his run going to head home Berterame’s lob into the box.

With advancement out of reach in an acrimonious match, things only went downhill from there for Miami. Jordi Alba picked up two yellow cards in four minutes, exploding at referee Iván Barton as the Salvadoran issued the second in the 78th minute.

Before the match veered into truly embarrassing territory, Messi managed to help save some dignity for the Herons. The Argentine, booed throughout by Monterrey fans, found Gómez with an inch-perfect dead ball delivery, allowing the Paraguay midfielder to nod in a consolation goal in the 86th minute.

Still, the whole experience was chastening for Miami, who didn’t have the legs or mental strength to compete with the best of Concacaf over two legs.

“We knew Monterey is a very good team, and obviously a tough opponent. They played really well, and we made some mistakes that cost us,” said Julian Gressel in an interview with FS1 after the match. “Hopefully we’ll learn from it, and we can move on into the next competition and do well.”

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Monterrey vs. Inter Miami: How to watch Champions Cup, TV channel

The Herons are facing an extremely difficult task in Mexico, even with Lionel Messi back

Inter Miami will head to Mexico with a mountain to climb, as it gets ready to face Monterrey in the second leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinal.

With Lionel Messi sidelined, Monterrey took a huge step toward the semifinal by posting a 2-1 win at Miami in the first leg last week.

The battle between the teams continued after the final whistle, as a post-game altercation took place outside the Monterrey dressing room.

[afflinkbutton text=”Watch Concacaf Champions Cup FREE on Fubo” link=”https://www.fubo.tv/welcome?irad=343747&irmp=1205322&subId1=PSW&subId2=Generic&subId3=2023%2F24“]

Miami will need to win the second leg and score at least two goals to advance, a daunting prospect that has been made a little more achievable after Messi made a goalscoring return to the squad over the weekend.

The winner of this tie will face the winner of the quarterfinal between Tigres and the Columbus Crew.

Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the match.

Monterrey vs. Inter Miami (Concacaf Champions Cup)

  • When: Wednesday, April 10
  • Where: Estadio BBVA (Monterrey)
  • Time: 10:30 p.m. ET
  • Channel/streaming: FS1 (Watch FREE on Fubo), TUDN

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