The memories can’t help but flash back for Inter Miami from a year ago as they approach Game 3 of their first-round best-of-three series in the 2025 MLS Cup playoffs against Nashville SC, but manager Javier Mascherano has urged his squad to forget about the past and keep their focus on the future.
In 2024, Miami opened their first playoffs with Lionel Messi and the star-studded cast as Supporters’ Shield winners, winning Game 1 before dropping the second game of the series and the decisive Game 3 at home, crashing out against the ninth-seed Atlanta United.
This fall, not much has changed. Miami aren’t the top seed; instead, they’re third, facing the sixth-seeded Nashville, but the results have been the same. They won Game 1 at home, lost Game 2 on the road and will have to play a decisive Game 3 on Nov. 8.
“Swallow the poison we feel, hold on to it and let it build up all week so we can unleash it on Saturday at home with our fans. That’s the message,” a frustrated Mascherano told reporters after the Game 2 loss. “Today is a day to be closer than ever to the players, more united than ever, because I have great faith that we’ll turn this around.”
“We need to hold on to all the anger we felt today when the game ended, let it fester and, above all, not let it out before then. Let it out when we have to let it out, which is on Saturday.”
With Game 3 looming, can Miami avoid another catastrophe?
Inspiration from Ted Lasso
Still in his first season as a professional head coach, Mascherano hasn’t been able to lead Inter Miami to a massive win, falling short in the Concacaf Champions Cup semifinals, the Leagues Cup final and the Round of 16 at the FIFA Club World Cup.
Yet he’s seemingly taking inspiration from one of the most popular soccer coaches in the United States—well, a fictional one, in Ted Lasso.
While Lasso famously told his fictional English Premier League side, AFC Richmond, to “have the memory of a goldfish,” the Argentine boss has taken a similar strategy with Miami.
“It’s about having the memory of a fish,” he said. “That’s how it is, the memory of a fish. Forget what happened today, try to improve what we need to improve, build on what we’ve done well, and on Saturday, there’s nothing better than a high-pressure situation.
“At least for me, that’s what it's about, that’s why we’re still here. If we didn’t want this high-pressure situation, we’d be at home drinking mate and watching the sun.”
While the Herons will hope to forget some of Game 2, they will certainly need to remember what happened in Game 3 last season, when they squandered an early 1–0 lead within minutes, before falling 3–2 to an inferior Atlanta side.
This season, they’ve shown their qualities. Messi finished the year with 29 goals and 19 assists in 29 games, and the supporting cast largely stepped up in the regular season. For Messi and many others on the roster, they may want to forget Game 2, but remembering last year’s crushing defeat can only be a motivator.
Can Retiring Alba, Busquets Be Difference Makers Like Messi?
If there’s one player who can win a game on his own, it’s Lionel Messi.
While Nashville has navigated the challenge several times since the Argentine arrived in 2023, he has still found continued success, scoring the late goal in Game 2. Should Miami find their way through, there’s little doubt Messi will play a big part in it.
Still, he needs help. Although the focus will be solely on advancing past Nashville at home, the 38-year-old doesn’t have enough to chase an MLS Cup title on his own, and Miami’s defensive frailties have cost them at several points this season.
Will one of Sergio Busquets or Jordi Alba be able to step up in what could be their final game? Neither have been stellar in the series so far, but they’ll need their best in transition and defensive awareness, especially against Nashville’s punishing duo of Hany Mukhtar and Sam Surridge.
“We couldn’t find Leo in good positions in the first half, and we weren’t precise in the final third, and credit to the opponent for that,” Mascherano said. “In the second half, even though they sat back, we managed to create a few more chances.”
Whichever team advances will take on a side that also moves on from a Game 3, with the winner set to face the prevailing team from the Hell is Real Derby series between FC Cincinnati and Columbus Crew, with that match scheduled for Nov. 8 as well.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as ‘Memory of a Fish’—Inter Miami Take Ted Lasso Inspiration to Avoid Another MLS Cup Playoff Disaster.
