Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano spoke at a press conference following their 4-1 away loss to Minnesota, which marked the team’s fourth defeat in their last five matches.

“We didn’t play the game we wanted. In the first half, we had control and possession, but two plays—especially due to lapses in concentration—caused us a lot of damage in a match we had under control,” said Mascherano.

Regarding Marcelo Weigandt’s own goal, Mascherano stated: “Both the second and third goals really hurt us. The second one, because going into halftime down by just one goal keeps you within reach of an equalizer—and the way we conceded it, through a mistake, made it worse. The third goal came when we were in a good phase of the match and it killed us.”

“We initially controlled the game, but it’s never easy to attack a team that defends deep like Minnesota did. There wasn’t much space to attack in the final third, and without space, it’s very hard to create clear chances.”

“Every time we were attacking, unfortunately, we were very vulnerable on transitions after losing the ball. That’s what worries me the most. If the players’ performance drops, the responsibility is entirely mine. In the end, there’s a coach—and if the players aren’t convinced by what the coach is proposing, it’s the coach’s fault.”

Inter Miami’s next match is on Wednesday, May 14, away against the San Jose Earthquakes.

Paulo Dybala spoke about making the Argentina national team for the 2022 World Cup and his penalty in the final.

Dybala was part of the Argentina national team which won the 2022 World Cup, having made it despite being injured shortly before the start. Speaking in an interview with Sports Illustrated, Dybala revealed what he told Lionel Messi after Argentina won the World Cup. In the same interview, he also stated how he was told by coach Lionel Scaloni that he was going to Qatar for the World Cup. Here is what he had to say:

“I see him approach me and I said: ‘I’m out.’ And he came up to me and said: ‘train peacefully, you’re staying’.

He also spoke about Argentina’s match against Mexico:

“When Leo (Messi) scored the goal and then Enzo sealed the match, it was a moment for us when we gained a lot of strength because that match gave us peace of mind to qualify, knowing that, well, Poland was coming next.”

The Argentine also spoke about being substituted on in the final against France and having to take a penalty kick:

“When I came on, when coach Scaloni called me, there was very little time left. So I knew my substitution was for the penalties.

“He had a lot of confidence in penalties for me and that’s why he put me in. So I was very focused. I knew I couldn’t miss, my entrance was to take the penalty kick.

“Obviously the pressure is huge because you are either a hero or a villain. If you miss, everyone will remember that you played two minutes and that you missed the penalty.

“When I saw Coman, who missed before me, I remembered what Dibu said (kick to the middle).

“And I said ‘ok, I have to kick it to the middle’. And I didn’t hesitate, I didn’t change at any moment, I went straight, I put the ball and I knew I was going to kick to the middle.

“Then when Tchouaméni missed and Leandro (Paredes) scored, we said: ‘It’s ours, we’re going to be World Champions.'”