'Wanted to give other players a chance' - Without Leo Messi, Javier Mascherano rotates squad in Inter Miami’s 1-1 draw against DC United

Manager Javier Mascherano surprised many by leaving Luis Suárez, Sergio Busquets and Rodrigo De Paul on the bench for Inter Miami’s visit to DC United on Saturday night, especially with Lionel Messi not available.

The match ended 1-1 after Jackson Hopkins opened the scoring in the 13th minute for the hosts and Baltasar Rodríguez equalized with a stunning strike in the 63rd for Miami at Audi Field. With Messi and Jordi Alba also sidelined due to injury, the Argentine manager explained his decision to rest his stars.

“We’ve played 41 matches, we wanted to give other players a chance. We need the entire squad, it was a clear decision for us, and by the end of the match I believe it was the right one,” Mascherano said.

As for the draw, which leaves the Herons in fifth place in the Eastern Conference on 46 points, the coach said, “It was one half for each team. In the first half they had the intensity and we let them play. In the second half we played in their half from the start, we were the team we want to be.”

As the second half went on, Mascherano brought on Suárez, Busquets, De Paul and Rodríguez, who made the most of his opportunity with a brilliant goal.

“The substitutions helped the team. The feeling is that if we had played with that same intensity from the start, we could have won the game,” the coach said.

Inter Miami remains in fifth place in the Eastern Conference with 46 points, keeping them inside the MLS playoff positions. For Rodríguez, the former Racing Club midfielder, the strike marked his first goal of the 2025 MLS season.

The Herons will face Orlando City  Wednesday in the Leagues Cup semifinals.