Tag Archives: Concacaf Champions Cup

Inter Miami CF Star Lionel Messi Making Trip to Jamaica for Team’s Upcoming Concacaf Champions Cup Match

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Lionel Messi is getting back in the game… 

Inter Miami CF head coach Javier Mascherano has confirmed that the 37-year-old Argentine soccer star will be traveling with the team to Jamaica to face Cavalier FC in the second leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup round-of-16 series on Thursday at Kingston’s Independence Park.

Lionel Messi Messi missed the previous three Miami matches due to what Mascherano described as load management.

“Leo Messi is on the roster and will travel with the team to Jamaica,” Mascherano told media on Wednesday. “Tomorrow we will decide for the game what is best, if he starts or waits on the bench and comes in later.

“Today he trained with the team, and the sensations were good. We’re happy he’ll travel with us to Jamaica.”

The team will travel Wednesday to follow Concacaf protocol and be in the location of the match 24 hours prior to kick off.

In an effort to avoid any future injuries, Mascherano failed to include Messi in the rosters for the matches against the Houston Dynamo and Cavalier FC before leaving him on the bench for the entirety of the game against Charlotte FC on Sunday.

The coach stressed on multiple occasions that Messi did not sustain an injury at the start of the season, but he simply chose to rest the player to minimize the risks after kicking off the 2025 campaign with three games in the span of seven days.

Inter Miami will now prepare to face Cavalier in the second leg with most of the roster available, seeing the return of defender Maxi Falcon after he missed out on the match against Charlotte due to a blow to the leg during Champions Cup action.

Miami enters Thursday’s game with a 2-0 lead over Cavalier after winning the first match at Chase Stadium last week. Mascherano stressed he isn’t taking anything for granted, though brushed off concerns about the conditions of the field in Jamaica’s capital

“We know that tomorrow we are going to play a tough game for us. It’s a game that is very important, not just for this week but for the season because we had the chance to through to quarterfinals,” said Mascherano.

“At the end, obviously we prefer if the field is good, better for us for the way that we play. But anyway, we have to play in the condition that the field is.”

Should Inter Miami complete the win in Jamaica, the team would face MLS opponent LAFC in the quarterfinals.

Inter Miami CF Signs Tadeo Allende from Celta Vigo on One-Year Loan

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Tadeo Allende is switching sides…

Inter Miami CF has signed the 25-year-old Argentine professional footballer from Celta Vigo on Tuesday on a one-year loan through the end of the 2025 Major League Soccer season.

Tadeo AllendeThe Celta Vigo winger is set to join the team pending the receipt of his P-1 Visa and International Transfer Certificate (ITC).

“We’re pleased to bring in attacker Tadeo Allende to further strengthen our attack. Tadeo’s versatility bolsters our options up front as he can perform in different positions across the pitch. We’re excited to bring him on board to help us compete in multiple competitions in 2025,” said president of football operations Raúl Sanllehí.

Allende joins after recording three goals in 13 appearances for Celta across all competitions since joining the team in January of 2024.

He also previously saw stints with Instituto Atletico Central Cordoba (2021) and Club Deportivo Godoy Cruz (2022 on loan and 2022 to 2023) before joining La Liga, racking up a total of 18 goals and seven assists in 117 professional appearances.

“I’m honored to have the opportunity to join Inter Miami for an exciting new chapter in my career. I’m happy to be here in South Florida and I’m ready to give it my all to help the club achieve its objectives this upcoming season,” said Allende.

Allende stands as the latest signing for new manager Javier Mascherano, as he looks to build a deeper roster ahead of the 2025 campaign. Inter Miami will be participating in the Concacaf Champions Cup, Leagues Cup and Club World Cup in addition to the 2025 MLS season.

Mascherano said he was actively looking for players with a competitive mindset that can take on the responsibilities associated with Inter Miami.

 

“I would tell you [we’re looking for] the type of players, a competitive player, a player who has the ambition to come here to win things, who really wants to come because, well, we know that beyond the fact that we have players who can attract many other players,” Mascherano said to ESPN on Tuesday. “Then the responsibility has to be carried on your shoulders and that is not for everyone.

“So above all, players with a mentality, with personality and obviously with hierarchy. In the end the hierarchy in football is what determines the difference and well we will try to go for those types of players.”

Inter Miami will kick off the 2025 preseason with a friendly against Club America on Jan. 18 in Las Vegas, before embarking on a tour across South and Central America.

The team is set to be adding more players to the roster before officially kicking off the season with a Concacaf Champions Cup match against Sporting Kansas City on February 18.

Portland Timbers Acquire Jonathan Rodríguez from Club America

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Jonathan Rodríguez is headed to the Pacific Northwest.

The 30-year-old Uruguayan soccer player, known by his nickname Cabecita, will play for the Portland Timbers.

Jonathan RodríguezThe Portland team reached an agreement with Club América to acquire Rodriguez, who trained with Club América’s U-23 squad on Monday while finalizing a four-year designated player deal with the Timbers.

He’s expected to travel to Portland later this week.

According to sources, the clubs have had an agreement in place for a $6 million transfer fee for the Uruguayan striker since last Friday.

Rodríguez didn’t travel with the team to Guadalajara last week for the 3-0 victory over Chivas in the National Clasico — part of the Concacaf Champions Cup — and was not at América’s victory over Tigres UANL last Sunday.

The striker has been productive for América this season, scoring nine goals and adding three assists across all competitions. Before signing with ‘Aguilas‘, Rodríguez had previously played in Liga MX for Santos Laguna and Cruz Azul.

In 2022, Rodríguez moved to the Saudi Pro League to play with Al Nassr where he appeared in eight games and scored one goal in six months, before returning to Mexico.

Rodríguez, who debuted with the Uruguay national team in 2014, earned a call-up for his national team under manager Marcelo Bielsa in 2023 after a two-year absence that included the 2022 World Cup.