Lionel Andrés Messi is back in training with Inter Miami as the team prepares for their first friendly of a pre-season marked by a lack of reinforcements and a growing list of challenges.
Javier Mascherano himself revealed the incredible problem that awaits his men for the next match against Club America of Mexico in Las Vegas. Although it seems unbelievable, the reality is that a few days before the clash, there is not a single goalkeeper under contract who can be called up for the match.
Drake Callender, Inter Miami’s starting goalkeeper, is currently focused on representing his national team just hours before the friendly match. Meanwhile, substitutes Oscar Ustari and Cole Jensen have not officially renewed their contracts, leaving the team with only youth team goalkeepers available for the encounter against the Mexican Soccer giants. Javier Mascherano commented in a press conference on this surreal situation, stating that they are looking to resolve it before the ball starts rolling in Las Vegas.
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“We are waiting for the documents for the two goalkeepers we have on the squad, excluding Drake… Obviously, we cannot play football without a goalkeeper, and we are not going to expose a young player from the Academy. It won’t happen while I’m here,” the Inter Miami interim coach mused as he prepares to make his debut as first-team coach, with Messi already on board. back to training. Fingers are crossed.
The word “rookies” has dominated the conversation for Inter Miami in 2025, with the squad barely including any new faces ahead of the third edition of MLS, where Messi aims to clinch his first title away from Europe. While many eyes are on Neymar’s future and Lionel Andrés’ possible renewals, both Mascherano and various club executives have discussed a less-than-ideal situation regarding new faces, raising concerns over to their title hopes by the end of 2025. Although there are still four days until the friendly against the Mexicans, the situation has already led to surreal questions, as seen during the recent Mascherano press conference.
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It is worth remembering that the start of the year has not been kind to the Florida-based team. Matías Rojas, Leo Campana, Cole Jensen, Sergii Kryvtsov, Lawson Sunderland, Felipe Valencia, Nicolás Freire and Franco Negri have all left a club which currently has almost no new signings, which could force them to field a young player during the debut of Messi and company in 2025. Time is running out, and let’s not forget that their debut in the CONCACAF Champions Cup and the kick-off of the season of the MLS are just over 30 days away from becoming a reality.
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Inter Miami is also calculating its options with Neymar. Leonardo Campana’s departure from the club frees up one of the three Designated Player positions available for Messi’s squad. This designation, authorized by MLS, means that any player signed by Inter Miami would not be subject to the $638,000 per year salary cap set by Major League Soccer. It is a first step towards the potential signing of Neymar, who earns up to 100 million euros in Saudi Arabia, and would require similar financial arrangements to Lionel’s move to the United States. The search for sponsors or brands of Apple’s stature is underway to further facilitate these processes.
Inter Miami’s pre-season will begin on January 18 against América in the United States. After that, the team will travel to Peru to face Universitario de Deportes on January 29. Friendly matches against Sporting San Miguelito and Olimpia of Paraguay are scheduled between February 2 and 9, marking the conclusion of a South American pre-season, which will be preceded by a double friendly against Orlando City before the CONCACAF Champions Cup begins on February 19 against Sporting Kansas City. (Bolavip)
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