{"id":67593,"date":"2025-12-02T05:53:09","date_gmt":"2025-12-02T05:53:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/67593\/"},"modified":"2025-12-02T05:53:09","modified_gmt":"2025-12-02T05:53:09","slug":"are-inter-miami-and-lionel-messi-unplayable-as-they-advance-to-mls-cup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/67593\/","title":{"rendered":"Are Inter Miami and Lionel Messi unplayable as they advance to MLS Cup?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Yahoo Sports contributors Christian Polanco and MLS Season Pass Commentator Taylor Twellman highlight Inter Miami\u2019s 5-1 win over NYCFC to advance to the MLS Cup and explain why the team is seeing success without Luis Su\u00e1rez. Hear the full conversation on the \u201cThe Cooligans\u201d podcast – and subscribe on Apple Podcasts<\/a>, Spotify<\/a>, YouTube<\/a>, or wherever you listen.<\/a><\/p>\n

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Video Transcript<\/p>\n

Inter Miami wins against NYCC, 5 to 1.<\/p>\n

I think, for the listeners here, This is what I would say to you about Inner Miami with Lionel Messi on the field.<\/p>\n

You have to be perfect.<\/p>\n

When you get an opportunity, you can’t really miss it.<\/p>\n

And when you don’t take advantage of those few chances you do get against this Miami team That defensively, all of a sudden, they have figured it out.<\/p>\n

Then, Christian, you’re up against it because I’ve never seen this team more balanced.<\/p>\n

I’ve never seen this team more confident without Surez on the field.<\/p>\n

To add to that point about Surez, being benched, And you know, once he got suspended, I that was the first thing I said.<\/p>\n

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I’m like, if Mascherano has the courage, this is the move.<\/p>\n

You bench him; they will be better, and it’s been objectively better.<\/p>\n

The point is, though: Messi’s through the middle.<\/p>\n

They haven’t done that part yet.<\/p>\n

They haven’t done that part yet.<\/p>\n

And Messi is a false nine, with two players who are vertical.<\/p>\n

They were playing Baltasar Rodrguez left wing, not Silvetti when Surez was out of the team Lineup.<\/p>\n

They flipped that.<\/p>\n

That’s the difference.<\/p>\n

When now the ball is played to Messi, wherever he is on the field, You’ve got to respect the pace around him.<\/p>\n

They didn’t have to respect that because there was no one else but Allende, So you could tilt the field to one side to deal with one guy going forward.<\/p>\n

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Now you can’t, and it’s just really bad.<\/p>\n

Use the word ‘unplayable.’<\/p>\n

The reality is this: 13 goals in 3 games.<\/p>\n

They’re unplayable right now.<\/p>\n

They’re unplayable, and it’s odder that the removal of a striker improves the team Team is so much better defensively now.<\/p>\n

I’m going back to a game in May.<\/p>\n

We were in San Jos.<\/p>\n

And if I’m not mistaken, the score was 33.<\/p>\n

I said it in that game.<\/p>\n

Christian, They will not be able to win MLS Cup.<\/p>\n

Trophies if it is Busquets, Surez, right?<\/p>\n

Through the middle with Messi on the field.<\/p>\n

Because you immediately have three guys who don’t defend.<\/p>\n

They figured it out, and that’s why I don’t think it’s that weird that it’s Surez, Because if it is Surez on the field, guess who has to come out?<\/p>\n

Busquets, and you play Yannick Bright.<\/p>\n

Its gotta be one or the other.<\/p>\n

Close<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Yahoo Sports contributors Christian Polanco and MLS Season Pass Commentator Taylor Twellman highlight Inter Miami\u2019s 5-1 win over…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":67594,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[15000,14237,1658,123,125,124,39441,26609,39440],"class_list":["post-67593","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-miami","tag-christian-polanco","tag-inter","tag-luis-suarez","tag-miami","tag-miami-headlines","tag-miami-news","tag-mls-season-pass","tag-nycfc","tag-taylor-twellman"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67593","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=67593"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67593\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/67594"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=67593"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=67593"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=67593"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}