'We weren’t expecting the red card' - Javier Morales reveals Inter Miami didn’t know about Javier Mascherano’s red card until halftime

Javier Mascherano’s fiery touchline demeanor caught up with him on Tuesday, as the Inter Miami manager was sent off at halftime of the Herons’ Leagues Cup win over Tigres. Reminiscent of his playing days as Liverpool and Barcelona’s enforcer, Mascherano was seen in the stands just 20 feet from the bench, furiously barking instructions on his phone while assistant coach Lucas Rodríguez Pagano relayed them to the sideline.

After the match, assistant Javier Morales, who handled the postgame press conference, admitted even the coaching staff was caught off guard by the dismissal. 

“It wasn’t clear what happened. The referee added six minutes, we complained about the time, and I think the referee just showed the red card, but we didn’t get much more information,” Morales said. 

He added that Mascherano only learned of the sending-off when the second half began: “We didn’t expect it. We came out for the second half and they told Javier he had been sent off. To be honest, we weren’t expecting the red card.”

Morales declined to elaborate on Mascherano’s frantic instructions from the stands, though cameras caught the coach visibly communicating on the phone and his assistant coach also speaking on the phone at the same time - especially after Tigres equalized in the 67th minute through Ángel Correa.

Mascherano was forced to watch from the sidelines for the entire second half after receiving a red card, while Jordi Alba had to be substituted early following an accidental collision with Telasco Segovia. On top of that, Lionel Messi was absent due to injury.

Despite Correa leveling the score in the 67th minute and the chaos on the sidelines, the Herons never backed down. They continued to push forward, and a second penalty, conceded by Javier Aquino, allowed Luis Suárez to complete his brace, securing a hard-fought 2-1 win over one of Liga MX’s strongest sides.

The Herons will host Orlando City in the semifinals, thanks to finishing higher in the group stage standings.

The Herons visit D.C. United this Saturday in MLS action.