LOUISVILLE, Ky. – In a battle defined by grit and high emotions, the Miami Hurricanes fell to the Louisville Cardinals, 3-2, in game three of the NCAA Louisville Super Regional. The Hurricanes conclude the 2025 season with a 35-27 overall record, including a 15-14 record in ACC play, and reached their first Super Regional since 2016.

In a tight contest through the early innings, Max Galvin put Miami on the board in style. After freshman Michael Torres singled to left-center on an 0-2 pitch, Galvin blasted a two-run homer down the right-field line, giving the Hurricanes a 2-0 lead in the top of the second.

Louisville answered in the fourth inning, beginning with a bunt single down the third-base line by Garret Pike. Zion Rose followed with an RBI double down the left-field line, bringing Pike home and cutting Miami’s lead in half.

Tague Davis then singled to right, advancing Rose to third as the Cardinals threatened with runners on the corners. Bayram Hot tied the game at two with a fielder’s choice RBI, as Rose came home to score and Tyler Davis was retired at second on a 6-4 putout.

With the game now tied, Miami head coach J.D. Arteaga turned to the bullpen, bringing in left-hander Rob Evans in relief of starter Reese Lumpkin. Evans then retired the next batter to keep the game tied.

Louisville threatened again in the fifth, as Moore led off with a single up the middle. After a flyout by Klein, Miami made another pitching change, bringing in right-hander Will Smith to try and put the Cardinals’ attack to a halt.

Moore stole second and walks to Munroe and King Jr. loaded the bases with one out.

But Smith remained composed, escaping the jam by striking out Pike before inducing a groundout to third baseman Daniel Cuvet, ending the inning and keeping the game tied at two.

But the Cardinals quickly swung the momentum back in their favor after Miami loaded the bases on a single by Galvin and back-to-back walks. The regional hosts held their composure under pressure, too, escaping the jam with a clutch double play that began with a force at home and ended with Renzo Gonzalez being thrown out at first.

Smith responded with authority, striking out the side in order as tension mounted across Jim Patterson Stadium.

The Cardinals broke the tie in the seventh when Munroe singled up the middle and advanced to second on a wild pitch. King Jr. followed with an RBI double to center, plating Munroe and giving Louisville a 3-2 lead.

In the top of the ninth, the Hurricanes threatened with runners on first and second with one out, but came up short, as the Cardinals shut the door to seal the win.

Courtesy of Miami Athletics

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The Miami Hurricanes and Mario Cristobal are losing one of their long-time members of the coaching staff. Aaron Feld, one of the many members of Mario Cristobal’s staff who came with him from Oregon to Miami, is stepping down from his strength and conditioning position.

“Thank you to the University of Miami and the Hurricane Football program for a great run! I have nothing but love and respect for this football team,” wrote Feld in his announcement. “This was a tough decision to have to make, but ultimately the choice was clear. At the end of the day, my wife and kids deserve more from me than my circumstances allowed, so the only course of action was to change my circumstances. Failing as a husband and a father will never be an option.”

“Developing a world-class performance team at The U will always be a highlight of my career, and I am leaving the Canes football program in extremely capable hands. I have no doubt they will continue to lead the profession and have great success,” Feld finished.

He has a duty as a father and husband and we wish him nothing but the best in his journey.

The Hurricanes will now be under the direction of Nick Tulloch and Houston Owens. Owens has been on the staff for some time, but the new addition is Tulloch. The Hurricanes have been on a mission to improve every aspect of their staff, and these additons will only help the program in the long run.

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The inaugural Club World Cup starts on June 14, with its 32 teams split into eight groups of four in the opening phase.

As part of our guides to the sides that will feature in the tournament, Felipe Cardenas gives you the background on Inter Miami.

Who are they?

This is year five of Inter Miami’s existence as a professional football club. The Fort Lauderdale, Florida-based team has been both the laughing stock of MLS and the premier club of North America’s top flight. It has been a topsy-turvy start for David Beckham’s pet project. 

Inter Miami enters the Club World Cup with battered hopes and a bruised ego following a difficult start to the 2025 MLS season. Captain and global football icon Lionel Messi will lead an underperforming squad into the tournament that hopes to advance out of Group A, which includes Porto from Portugal, Brazil’s Palmeiras and Egyptian side Al Ahly.

A place in this first playing of the expanded Club World Cup is a dream come true for Miami’s owners, but will the tournament fulfil their wishes or turn into a nightmare experience? 

How good are they? 

Since Messi’s arrival in July 2023, Miami has tasted some competitive success while becoming a commercial behemoth in the U.S. The 2022 World Cup winner’s presence has helped Miami become one of the most valuable clubs in MLS, currently valued at $1.19billion (£878m), according to a May report by Sportico. Messi’s first full year saw Miami win the MLS Supporters’ Shield, the trophy that goes to the team which earns the most points in the regular season. 

In that 2024 season, under former manager Tata Martino, Miami also set a new league record for points earned (74) in a campaign that crowned Messi as the league MVP. The year ended on a sour note, however, when they were eliminated by Atlanta United in the first round of the MLS title playoffs. Martino abruptly resigned due to personal reasons and Miami hired Messi’s long-time friend and former Barcelona and Argentina team-mate Javier Mascherano as head coach. 

After a hot start to 2025, Mascherano’s side has struggled to play consistently well, and aside from an over-reliance on Messi, who turns 38 this month, the team is devoid of a tactical identity. 

How did they get here?

Funny you should ask.

FIFA’s convoluted qualification criteria handed Miami a ticket to the big dance. Miami didn’t win the MLS Cup final to be crowned its champions, and hasn’t come close to winning the Concacaf Champions Cup, either. But FIFA has always reserved one host slot for the Club World Cup, even before the competition was expanded to 32 teams from seven and moved from being an annual event to one staged every four years.

When Miami won that Supporters’ Shield at the close of last year’s regular season, FIFA president Gianni Infantino had the loophole he needed to invite Messi and company to this summer’s competition in the United States. 

“Miami loves football. The world loves football, and the world loves Miami,” Infantino said from Miami’s home pitch last October. “You’re the best team of the season in America,” Infantino added. “You can start telling your story to the world.” 

Miami will also open the tournament, against Al Ahly at 65,000-capacity Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens next Saturday night. If Infantino was dead-set on having Messi in this first edition of the new-look Club World Cup, he succeeded. How Miami fares in it is another story.

The side is short on depth and the ageing legs of Messi and his former Barcelona team-mates Luis Suarez (38), Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba (both 36) won’t be enough to make a deep run, even if Miami advances from the group stage. 

What’s their style of play?

Give the ball to Messi and hope he creates a moment of magic.

That sounds cynical, but unsurprisingly, everything goes through the Argentine No 10. And one can’t blame his team-mates, if we’re being honest. Messi remains highly effective around the penalty area and decisive when it matters most. He finished the 2024 MLS season with 21 goals and 17 assists (including the playoffs), but ran out of gas against Atlanta in the post-season. 

Miami wants to press high and force opponents to play narrowly. When it comes together, Miami can be formidable in transition. The problem is with the back line and overall defensive structure. Miami leaks goals and tends to play so open that a spell of good play is consistently undone by poor defending.

It wouldn’t be a shock to see Mascherano dial back the high press and play a more pragmatic style in this competition.

Tell us about the coach

Mascherano is in his first job as a professional head coach.

Before succeeding Martino in November, he had managed Argentina’s under-20 and under-23 men’s squads, and also coached Argentina’s team at the 2024 Olympics, losing to hosts France in the quarterfinals. That was considered a massive disappointment, which led to widespread criticism of Mascherano’s acumen as a manager. 

Inter Miami’s managing owner Jorge Mas and Mascherano at his unveiling (Megan Briggs/Getty Images)

Having played under both at Barcelona, Mascherano has spoken publicly about his appreciation of Pep Guardiola’s tactics and how Luis Enrique influenced him as both a player and a coach. Still, there is little evidence to suggest Mascherano’s philosophy will resemble that of an elite coach. His close relationship with Messi, Suarez, Busquets and Alba suggests he was given the job for reasons other than his resumé.

“People can have their opinion, and those opinions are valid, clearly,” he said in December. “But I’m convinced that I’m qualified to coach this team. I’m very excited to do so. Experience in football doesn’t always make sense.”

Who is their star player?

Less than three weeks from turning 38 years old, Messi doesn’t have the same burst off the dribble that saw him embarrass defenders throughout the pitch when he played for Barcelona. These days, he tends to position himself as close to the goal as possible, where he can create and finish plays without expending too much energy. 

But late-stage Messi is still a joy to watch, even if purists may want to hold onto memories of his dominant 20-year run as the world’s best player rather than see him carrying an MLS team. He still walks about the pitch and sometimes stands motionless as the game goes on around him. Today, Messi picks his moments more cautiously than ever. 

“Leo has turned into a complete player who plays all over the field,” Mascherano told The Athletic last year. “When you have a player like that, the most important thing is to give him the freedom to move where he believes the team needs him and for his team-mates to understand his movements.”

Messi has grown increasingly frustrated with Miami’s up-and-down form, though. Many of his young team-mates struggle to match his advanced football IQ, which has irritated this winner of 10 La Liga titles, three Champions Leagues, two Copas America and the most recent World Cup three years ago — more so when the team loses games. His patience is thinner, as well, with MLS referees taking the brunt of Messi’s anger.

This Club World Cup could be a breaking point.

And their rising star?

Venezuela international Telasco Segovia is Miami’s young player to watch. The 22-year-old attacking midfielder is a goal threat with a high ceiling. Segovia was signed this winter after spending two seasons in Portugal with Casa Pia. He has quickly become one of Miami’s key players and an on-field ally of Messi and striker Suarez. 

Telasco Segovia is one to watch at Inter Miami (Leonardo Fernandez/Getty Images)

Segovia is a versatile player, which allows him to roam the midfield and attacking areas and contribute both in possession and in transition. He tends to make the right decisions around the opponent’s penalty area and is not shy about taking his chances. There’s a maturity to him that stands out.

On a team of veteran superstars who have won nearly everything in football, Segovia’s self-confidence and clean technical play have been a boon for Miami. 

He’s a regular for Venezuela’s national team, but if he performs at a high level at the Club World Cup, the competition could be the showcase Segovia needs to reach his full potential.

Who are their biggest rivals?

In-state rivals Orlando City can be considered Miami’s rivals, but the truth is, every team Messi and company face plays with a knife between its teeth. Miami has become both a media darling and a hated club by rival MLS supporters. 

That’s a sign that things are going as planned in South Florida, though. With Messi and his mates, Miami has sold out huge NFL stadiums and other neutral venues. Messi fans have run onto the pitch to take a selfie with him. On the road, opposing teams’ supporters have congregated outside Miami’s team hotel, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Argentine superstar. 

All of that attention has turned Miami into an MLS villain, a nemesis that fans outside of Fort Lauderdale enjoy watching suffer. I don’t think Miami would have it any other way. “A lot of people are jealous of Inter Miami,” club managing owner Jorge Mas told FDP Radio in April.

Enough said.

Why should a neutral root for them?

Miami has plenty of detractors, but Messi boasts legions of fans worldwide. The team’s pink kit is seen across the globe these days, and Messi, even in the twilight of his career, still conjures emotions and fanfare usually reserved for a mega pop star.

Miami won’t be a favorite at this tournament. We’ve established that. But the presence of Messi will bring eyeballs to FIFA’s new baby. Neutrals will tune in to see if he still has any magic left in him. Romantics will watch in the hope he’ll turn back the clock to November and December of 2022, when he finally led Argentina to World Cup glory.

And that’s precisely what Infantino had in mind when he gave them that hosts’ spot.

(Top photos: Getty Images; design: Kelsea Petersen)