After Mascherano's exit, Messi's Inter Miami face Rapids test | OneFootball

The Herons are looking for a response after an uneven start and a coaching change that shook up the squad.

Inter Miami will face a key match this Saturday when they visit the Colorado Rapids in the eighth round of the MLS season. It will mark the debut of Guillermo Hoyos as head coach, following the surprising departure of Javier Mascherano.

The new manager took over this week and will face his first test in Denver, with the team needing to regain confidence and results. “It’s a winning team, one that always competes led by the best player in history,” Hoyos said, referring to Lionel Messi, the team’s star.

Inter Miami is not going through its best moment. The elimination from the Concacaf Champions Cup against Nashville SC was a hard blow, and the team also still has not won in its new stadium, Nu Stadium, where it has already played two matches.

In MLS, the Herons are third in the Eastern Conference with 12 points, four behind leaders Nashville, so they need to pick up points to avoid losing ground in the race.

The opponent will not be easy either. Colorado Rapids, who have Brazilian Rafael Navarro as one of their standout players, are sixth in the West with the same number of points as Inter Miami. Both Navarro and Messi come into the match as their teams’ leading scorers, with five goals each.

The matchday will also feature other major storylines. Nashville will look to hold onto the top spot in the East against Atlanta United, coached by Gerardo Martino, while in the West the battle is heating up between the Vancouver Whitecaps, San Jose Earthquakes, and Los Angeles FC.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.