Miami, FL
Mascherano: ‘Advantage’ with Barça guys at Miami
New Inter Miami CF head coach Javier Mascherano said leading former Barcelona teammates will work to his advantage as he takes on his first professional managerial position.
Mascherano will reunite with Luis Suárez, Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets and Lionel Messi for the first time since 2018, when the five played for the LaLiga giants. Though the roles have since evolved, the Argentine insists the relationship with each player will help Inter Miami succeed.
“We must remember that it is not that we’re making that change [from teammate to coach] right now, a lot of water has passed under the bridge,” Mascherano told ESPN. “I left Barcelona in 2018, and a lot has changed. We are grown-up people, we know how to differentiate things.
“I think life is easier when we do things naturally, and not force situations. I take it as an advantage to be able to know each other, to have had them as teammates and obviously to have great players like them now.”
Though Mascherano arrives at Inter Miami with limited coaching experience — he oversaw the Argentina U23 side from 2022-24 — and knowledge of the league, the new head coach is no stranger to the Herons. Co-owner Jorge Mas said the team tried to sign Mascherano in 2019 on a contract that allowed him to become one of the club’s first Designated Players before transitioning into a coach.
Though the initial deal fell through, he now returns to lead Miami five years later.
“I always thought he would be an amazing mentor. Five years later, he’s here. It’s fate,” said Mas.
Mascherano accepted the role after receiving a phone call from Mas, just days after the coaching search began. The Argentine manager revealed he didn’t give the decision much thought, knowing it was an important step to take.
Above all it was very fast and very intense because I received a message from Jorge where he wanted to talk to me, we went to a five-minute talk where he intended to have a meeting, then the next day we had a meeting via Zoom and the next day we were already reaching an agreement or reaching an agreement so that I am the new coach,” he said.
Once given the role, Mascherano spoke with Messi and got to work.
“I had a talk with Leo to get his opinion,” Mascherano added. “I am lucky to have a very fluid relationship with him and that allows me to be sincere and be able to talk to him in depth and for him to be honest with me about what he thought.
“He is a person who does not usually get involved too much. Obviously, we know the influence and importance that Leo has, and has had throughout his career in all teams and clubs. I am very happy to be here and look forward to starting training.”
The team will commence the pre-season in January and kick off the 2025 MLS campaign in late February.
In related Miami news, Messi and Alba represented the Supporters’ Shield winners on the 2024 MLS Best XI announced Tuesday.
The Best XI is voted on by media members, MLS players and club technical staffs. The 2024 squad includes players from eight countries and nine teams and features seven first-time honorees.
Information from Reuters was used in this report.
Hafley, the former Boston College head coach, joined the Dolphins in a virtual interview on January 14. He has interviewed with at least six of the nine teams with head coaching vacancies, including a scheduled interview on Saturday with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Packers hired Hafley as their defensive coordinator in 2024, luring him away from Boston College where he was 22-26 in four seasons. He led Boston College to three bowl-game invites during his tenure, but COVID-19 concerns cancelled two of the games.
Before taking the Boston College job, Hafley had been the co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach at Ohio State for the 2019 season. He has had various defensive coaching positions, primarily working with the defensive backs, with the San Francisco 49ers, Cleveland Browns, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFL as well as at Rutgers, Pittsburgh, Albany, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute at the collegiate level.
The NFL prohibits coaches under contract with a team from interviewing with another team in person before January 19. Teams must also not be in the playoffs, or they must be on the bye before the Super Bowl, before a coach can be interviewed in person.
Fans filled the Miami Beach Convention Center on Friday for the Fan Central event, which runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday through Sunday.
“Miami, it’s a city that you know is kind of there with everything being financially up there, but this is, look at all of the families and kids out here having a great time and to do it free,” said UM fan Robert Federhofer. “We are thankful. We are so thankful.”
Travelers arrive without game tickets
Some fans traveled through multiple states just to be in the same city as the College Football Playoff, even without plans to attend the Indiana-Miami game.
“Tickets were a little bit too high, but if I find $5,000 on the floor, I will definitely be going to the game for sure,” joked Hoosier fan Bryan Sanders.
Free concerts hit Lummus Park
Saturday and Sunday, music lovers can take in free concerts at Lummus Park in Miami Beach.
Locals join in championship buzz
Even Miami natives are playing tourists in their own city to celebrate the championship.
“We’ll be here tomorrow. We’ll be here Sunday,” said one UM fan in South Beach. “And the Canes are going to win, baby.”
The championship game kicks off at 7:30 p.m. on Monday.
Game date, time and location: Thursday, Jan. 15, 7:30 p.m. EST, Kaseya Center, Miami, Florida
TV: FanDuel Sports Network Sun (South Florida), NBC Sports Boston
Radio: 104.3 FM (Miami/Ft. Lauderdale), ESPN 106.3 FM, (West Palm Beach), FOX Sports Radio 105.9 FM (Ft. Myers/Naples), 1450 AM (Suart), 97.7 FM (Florida Keys), WAQI 710 AM (Spanish-language broadcast, South Florida), 98.5 FM The Sports Hub (Boston)
VITALS: The Miami Heat (21-19) and Boston Celtics (24-15) meet for the second of four regular season matchups. Earlier this season, the Celtics recorded a, 129-116, win in Boston on December 19. The Heat are 54-87 all-time versus the Celtics during the regular season, including 30-42 in home games and 24-45 in road games.
PROJECTED STARTERS
HEAT
G Davion Mitchell
G Tyler Herro
C Bam Adebayo
F Norman Powell
F Andrew Wiggins
CELTICS
G Payton Pritchard
G Derrick White
C Neemias Queta
F Jaylen Brown
F Sam Hauser
Spread: Heat +2 (-112), Celtics -2 (-108)
Moneyline: Heat +108, Celtics -126
Total points scored: 233.5 (over -110, under -110)
INJURY REPORT
HEAT
Jaime Jaquez Jr.: Questionable – Knee
Tyler Herro: Probable – Toe/Ribs
Davion Mitchell: Doubtful – Shoulder
Nikola Jovic: Probable – Knee
Terry Rozier: Out – Not with team
CELTICS
Josh Minott: Out – Hamstring
Jayson Tatum: Out – Achilles
QUOTABLE
Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra: “I think now we have positive teaching points from this. We’re going to conquer the third quarter. We’ve had so many incredible first halves, even in the games that we’ve lost. If we can get some of these games, like even where we play poorly in the third, just get to the fourth, we have great competitors in our locker room.
They love these kind of moments where it’s electric in there and you have to make big plays. So it was good to see us overcome the third quarter, there was a little bit of a glitch there where we kind of went back to some of the things that get us in trouble.”
For more Miami Heat information and conversation, check out Off The Floor.
Alexander Toledo is a contributor to Miami Heat On SI and producer/co-host of the Five on the Floor podcast, covering the Heat and NBA. He can be reached at Twitter: @tropicalblanket
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