Will Messi Be Back? | Inter Miami CF vs. Toronto FC Preview.

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Gian, Ashley, and myself, Austin, here with you guys to give you everything Inter-Miami of Lionel Messi as always as we preview the upcoming match this Wednesday against Toronto FC. Back at home for Inter-Miami, coming off of a really rough loss against Atlanta United in Atlanta without Lionel Messi, without Jordi Alba. Our post-game show is up on YouTube right now under the live section. Gian and Ashley recorded live right after the game to give you all the reactions. So if you missed that, go ahead and check it out. We won't spend too much time on Atlanta today. We're going to more focus on Toronto as this is a preview show and talk about some things that came out of training this week leading up to the match on Wednesday and some questions that definitely need to be answered. And we're going to do our best to have them answered, but we honestly don't know what the heck is going on right now. And I think that's where we should start things off. Tata Martino had a prepared statement, and I know Ashley has it ready. She's going to read it to you guys if you missed it. Here is what Tata Martino had to say earlier today. Every player on our roster wants to play every match. That is the mentality of our group. We have a lot of important matches in a short window of time. And one of my responsibilities as the coach is to care for my players and help them make the hard decisions that will give us the best chance of keeping everyone healthy during this busy run. Beginning on Wednesday, we have six matches in 18 days, which is one match every day, including the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final. Regarding Messi and Alba, both players will train in the full session today, the team, and after that we'll see if they're available to play and to what extent, end quote. So it's a weird one. First of all, it's weird they had it prepared and they handed it out to media members. I thought that that was a weird thing that I had not seen a coach from Miami do ever. Obviously, the situation right now is extremely dicey in regards to Messi because you want him to be playing in every single game. We know Messi playing in the games gives you a better chance at reaching MLS playoffs. It's something that we have talked about so much on this show. And my main takeaway from this is that because he completely highlighted the U.S. Open Cup, that is what they're going to be focusing on. He's not necessarily worried so much about five of the next six games in the 18 days. I think he's more so worried about one of those games, and that one being the U.S. Open Cup Final against Houston Dynamo on the 27th. That's my main takeaway. And I also think that it means we're going to see a little bit less of Messi than we probably initially thought. We thought that this team might go all out for MLS playoffs, but in reality, kind of seems like they may be satisfied with the Open Cup and with the League's Cup Final. Gian, what are your thoughts on what Tata Martino had to say today? Yeah, I thought it was quite interesting that it was a prepared statement. That was pretty not expected. But I think he's preparing us, the fans, preparing those that follow the team that follow Messi to say, hey, yeah, he might not be playing as many games as you guys thought he was. I think he's also trying to take the load off of the players as well, so that there are no maybe misconceptions that some of these players, specifically Messi and Alvar, are holding out. He said that in that statement, that these players, they want to play it. And if it was up to them, they'd play every game. So I think he's just making sure that he takes the responsibility as a coach and making sure he puts the onus on him, saying that if there's any decision on not playing, it's mostly going to come from me. These guys want to play every single game. So I think that that's also just trying to manage the perception of the team and the players and making sure that he takes away, I think, any backlash that there might be around this situation where Messi and Alvar don't play. So I think that that's the first thing. The second thing, I think, is that we don't really know what Messi is going through right now. We had heard right after the Argentina-Ecuador game that maybe he had tweaked something or that he felt something that didn't feel right. That's why he came out. Then we had reports that, you know, that it was just him being it was just fatigue on the body. But if it was fatigue on the body, then why did he go to those medical? He went through some other extensive medical checkups that I think you usually wouldn't go through. That was, I believe, in Argentina right after the game that you typically wouldn't go through or fatigue. So really, it's there's not a lot of news or real factual things that are coming out of this. So we're still guessing. Was there really something wrong? Was there not? Because he hasn't played in quite some time since that Argentina game. He's missed. He missed the the game Argentina against Bolivia. Then he missed last Inter-Miami game. So I think that this could be that without really saying it, we're going to keep resting him. And I'll say if there was ever a game to rest him, it's this one coming up tomorrow, which to me is probably one of the easiest games that Inter is going to have or has left. And I don't see any need to risk him. So like every fan, like all of us here at Inter-Miami and those of us that follow, we want to see him play. But at the end of the day, this is only the beginning. I mean, the last thing you want is for an injury to happen when you've got two and a half, two and a half years left of Messi, right? Ashley, you kind of agree with that sentiment? Yeah, I think what Jian said is on the money. I think that the reason for the prepared statement is because they don't want every single question spout. And maybe, like you said, tempering expectations, you know, things like that without having and also having the competitive advantage against who you're playing. You don't necessarily want them to know who is going to be available and not available until an hour beforehand, which I understand. I also think the results, depending on how the result pans out tomorrow, I also think it's actually going to make a big difference in how much Messi is going to play. I think if at all points and if other games on the table go our way, I think they're going to probably side toward him playing a little more than not playing. But if it starts to feel like it's a little bit more out of hand, I think they'll let him down. But yeah, so I think I really do think it's a day to day thing or, you know, match to match, depending on where I think it would be. You know, the fact that he had such a high amount of games in such a short amount of time. We went straight to the final. We won a final. We were in the semifinal. There's a lot of big things happening. And then he goes to Argentina and, you know, he's obviously on the older side. You still get like I still choose him for almost anyone in the world right now. But you want to be careful because, like you said, there's such more to go in their Cup final next week. And, you know, I don't know how much people know about the U.S. Open Cup final or the U.S. Open Cup in general, but it's the same thing as like the the Premier League, the British FA Cup, where it's teams, professional teams from a bunch of different tiers get the chance to qualify and be part of this tournament. And then it becomes it's single elimination. And, you know, it's it's one of those things where you can't take it for granted because Manchester City Arsenal, they don't go and they don't play in the FA Cup final every year. It's sometimes other teams break through and and it's not guaranteed just because you're a great team that you make it to these finals. Like I said, it's single elimination and I can understand how they want to make it a priority because these things don't come every single year. So so all of those things, I think, are factoring in a statement like that to say, just wait. You know, if we can, we will. But if we can't, you'll understand why. So that that bring you bring up a good point with the Open Cup. And that's kind of what I wanted to ask you guys more specifically after this statement is is where is the club's focus? Right now, because and maybe maybe you tell me what you believe the club's focus should be, because as we've highlighted in past episodes after winning Leeds Cup, Intermiami have already qualified for the CONCACAF Champions Cup next season. Not only have they qualified for the CONCACAF Champions Cup, but they've already advanced to the round of 16 stage. They don't need to win US Open Cup to qualify anymore. They've got a trophy under their belt under the Lionel Messi era. Do they need to force themselves and go push MLS playoffs? We were putting and I'll say it. I won't even put it on you guys. I was putting a ton of pressure on this team to go ahead and make MLS playoffs. I thought it should have been a priority as much as I do believe that the US Open Cup final should be as well. I do put that at the top of my table in terms of priorities should be the US Open Cup final. However, I don't think that sacrificing MLS playoffs is, you know, something that I would be happy with after the US Open Cup final. So after Tata and this statement came out, and like I said, in my belief, him highlighting the US Open Cup final in this statement when talking about resting Messi and Alba and maybe other players to come, it kind of gives me the idea that they are prioritizing the US Open Cup final. I'm wondering if you guys agree with that, and I think that everybody should agree with that. But does it also mean that they're completely taking away from the MLS playoffs right now and making that push? Is it too strenuous of a push to actually make? Do they believe that it's unachievable? Because if you look at the table right now, and I'll put up the stats right down on the bottom here for you right now, under Miami are in 14th place. They have 28 points. They're seven points out of a playoff spot, yet they do have two games in hand. It's not something that's completely unachievable. Miami can go into this next match week with fate completely in their own hands, depending on their own results, or depending on other results, not on their own. They got lucky, I will say, after the Atlanta match with most teams above them actually just gaining draws, dropping two points here and there, everybody seems to have dropped two points. And that's why they had gone from just six points out of a playoff spot to now just seven. So it still makes it so, so, so achievable for them to be able to do this with the games in hand that they have. Like I said, I don't think they should take any focus away from US Open Cup Final. If it means resting Messi against Toronto, if it means resting Messi against Orlando in Orlando, for me, that's the one I think that he should sit out of. To go into that Wednesday final with a fully fit squad, then sure, go ahead and do it. But after the fact, if they are to win, it should still be all guns blazing for MLS playoffs. Where do you guys see the club's focus and what do you want to see in terms of the load management with these guys? Well, I'll just kind of reiterate what I just previously, I agree that the Open Cup Final is the priority. Because like I said, in just compared to England or to the super, what's it called? Supercopa. What is it called in La Liga? Copa del Rey. Right. Okay. So that it's just to give people some context. It's the same concept as the Copa del Rey and as the FA Cup. You don't make it to the final every, I mean, some teams do, but rarely. It's single elimination. It's about, you know, **** teams with their shot. And it's a really prestigious award to win. So I think it would be, or Cup to win. It would, I think that's definitely the priority. I also think that with these two games that we have for it, tomorrow with an inferior opponent, which is Toronto at home, for all intents and purposes in Miami, should be getting those three points. That means I, in personal opinion, if Messi is completely healthy, I'd like to see him in the last 30 minutes, because I think it's, you know, not that he's the best over Russ where he, he's the best kind of no matter what, but for the team in general, and just having the repetition, having the comfort of playing in the system, you know, with the players, you know, I'd like him to play 20 to 30 minutes tomorrow. If, you know, depending on everything we'll see, I mean, he may start, we really don't know. I, we're getting, I think the point is we're trying not to competitive advantages. And I think that's actually really important in sports. And then, yeah, the Orlando game. I don't want to not do it because if you think about the first Orlando city game he played in, he was totally into it and he loved the rivalry and passion and the excitement and knowing who he is, unless again, unless it's something we really don't know about in terms of injury or there's something really crazy happening as a competitive spirit is one of the greatest of all times. I don't see him not wanting to be in it, especially when he knows there's stakes. I would, I think he'd really push to be in it. And then you also don't want him to play zero. Like you don't want him to be out. What would it be then? I, the open cup 29 days without him playing or 28 days without him playing for him to go from zero to playing a game could put a course, but I don't think it's necessarily the best idea. So, so yeah, I mean, putting those things together, I think the club focused having it be the final, it makes a lot of sense because like I said, it's a really, it's a really big thing. You don't get it every single year with the playoffs though. Depending on tomorrow's results and how things shake out, what they do with him after the cup final, that is more so when you can really question how much the team and the front office care about making it to the playoffs. I think it's hard to make that decision before this final. I can also imagine, sorry, before you go down, I can also imagine that there's probably pressure from ownership to say, Hey, listen, Tata, we have a us open cup final at home in front of our fans. Messi needs to be playing at a hundred percent in that match. They have to go out and win that match. So that's why I also think you're seeing a little bit of conservatism from Tata Martino in regards to all this, because there might be some, Hey, we have goals that are a little bit more important right now than just sweeping into the ninth spot. When we have a final to play for the first time ever at home, that may be the most important thing in the club's history right now, especially to the ownership group. So I think that that also might play a part. Yeah. Also super, super quick. I'm sorry, Gian. In case you also want to talk about it, the fact that he posted the Instagram of the game though, tomorrow leads me to believe that again, unless he's like, I feel like he's going to have to play a few minutes of it from just from like legal F F AA registrations or whatever the, or whatever the term is for FCC FCC for there's in America and North America, there are rules in terms of sponsorship paid and promoted posts that you have to be able to, like, you have to hold some type of compensation for it. And I don't believe he can get a post about himself if he's not participating in it. I, and that's not a hundred percent, but just something to keep in mind. He may be playing minutes tomorrow because he posted it. You know, that may be internally them saying, okay, well, you know, I, that's that. Um, so I don't think they're prioritizing either, to be honest, uh, between the U S open cup final or the playoffs. I think it's more of a, what's going on during the current moment, just because, you know, really, as you were saying previously, if you're going to rest messy, it's, it's got, and you have the opportunity to continue resting messy. You've got a game against one of the easiest rivals that inter Miami is going to have since messy's arrival. Um, they can easily win without message tomorrow or even without Alba. I think they can win very easy on top of that. You kind of have to understand. I think that they understand that after tomorrow's game, that the playoff chase is still very much alive, looking at who the opponents are moving forward in the league. And if we look at that, we've got seven games left. So 21 points up for grabs. We're seven points out of nine, four of the games that we have left are against teams that happen to be between us and ninth place. So we've got four, four opportunities to almost like double up on points, take points away and obviously gain three points for us. So I think they're looking at that to say, we've got four games of people that are also between us and DC United. Then two more games you've got, and are the two hardest games, which would be against Nashville and against, uh, no, not Nashville. Uh, is it, I believe it's against Cincinnati and Orlando Cincinnati. We beat them in, in the league's cup. So I think that they think that they can go ahead and replicate that open cup. Yeah. Again, in the open cup and then against Orlando, which we beat three, one in the league's cup. So I feel like there's still, they think that regardless of what happens tomorrow, that the schedule is a friendly schedule for them to continue through the, the, through making the MLS playoffs. And I just don't think they're choosing right now, either, or, and I don't even think the players would allow them to choose either, or the players very much want to make the MLS playoffs. And if you look, and if you even doubt that that goes through Messi's mind, when Messi played Nashville after the league's cup, he was pissed when we drew that zero zero against Nashville, he was visibly pissed as heck that they had, they had not won that game. So there to me in soccer, and maybe the coach could say something, but the players are not prioritizing anything. They want to win as many games as possible. So in my opinion, given what the players, what the players have shown, they want to win every game. And then also just understanding what the schedule looks like for us ahead. I think that they think that whatever happens tomorrow, whether Messi plays or not, or if, even if he misses the following game before the US open cup, you're still going to have five games that are very much winnable games. That's talking, you're talking about 15 points. And again, you're playing against teams that are very much beatable. And then if you also look at DC United, who's in ninth place, I look at their schedule, and there are at least two to three games that they could drop and they only have five games left. So adding and doing the math, Messi doesn't play the next two games, which I don't think is going to happen. But even if he doesn't, playoff chase is very much still alive. That's, I mean, there's a lot of ways to look at it in terms of how to balance MLS playoffs and what games to prioritize. We've been trying to do that all year long. And I will say this. I think that winning the home games is extremely important. And Gian, you are 1000% right. The Toronto match is your like most favorable one going forward. I believe that that is obviously, especially looking at the standings, a weaker side in the Eastern Conference, a side that doesn't really have any confidence right now that has gone through a ton of different, I guess, situations throughout the league and within, you know, the internal personnel and everything like that. So that's a game that should be won with or without Lionel Messi. So I don't know what you do. I know Ashley's got the crystal ball on pretty much everything with Tata Martino and lineup. So he probably will come off the bench and play 30 minutes or so. And I think that that would that would make sense. But then going into the Orlando match is where I start to draw questions because it's three games away from that Open Cup final. It's a it's a Sunday game. It's not a Saturday game. It's a Sunday game. And then they play on Wednesday in the final. So there's only, you know, that 48 hour clean break on Monday and Tuesday before you go into match day on Wednesday. And it's obviously in Orlando as well, which the traveling is obviously not that bad. Three hour drive, depending on what they do. They probably charter a flight, whatever it is. That's a 30 minute flight. I think when you discuss that matchup with the internal rivalry and everything going on, it gets a little bit more dicey because of just the scheduling of where the game is in terms of of the final. And that's why I turned to you know what? It's more on ownership, probably saying Messi needs to be playing 90 minutes on Wednesday, next Wednesday, I should say, in front of all the fans for a trophy. And that should be the priority over everything else. Tata has also said multiple times in interviews and press conferences that they know it's a tall task to make MLS playoffs. And he's very aware of and the whole team, I believe, is very aware of the order and the tall order that it actually is to go ahead and overcome the deficit that they were in or that they were handed by Phil Neville and the previous team. So seven points and how many games? Seven games left, right, Gian? I mean, that is extremely, extremely doable. I guess these six point giving up, man, it's so, so tough. They have to win this. Yeah, we have to win the beginning. We've said this from the beginning that that they've already done and put themselves in a place that they wanted to be. They've reached goals. The MLS playoffs has always been the cherry on top for us. So where we've been excited and doing all the math and all of that is because we want them to make the playoffs. But again, we understand the entirety of this situation and know that it's the cherry on top. It's the extra reward. So I mean, just again, just going back to the schedule, you it's still so doable. Like it doesn't like tickets tomorrow is an easy game. After that, you've got four, four games where there are games that are very winnable games because their teams are at the bottom of the leaderboard on the Eastern Conference. You've only got two really tough matchups remaining of the last six matches of the of the season. So you've got four winnable ones, two difficult ones. I mean, and also we have to remember, you know, when right before at the end of the League's Cup, when we were talking about the journey to if they wanted to make this playoff push and if they, you know, what it would take. And then there, I think, you know, before the Atlanta game, what we have to remember is that they they got 13 of the first 15 points that they needed of five matches. They won four and they drew one. So they got 13 out of 15 points. I think that was, you know, a big indicator of one, the team's efforts and their goals. And so, you know, Jan, I really agree with you. I think it's going to be a match by match basis. I think that from now until the league that we keep seeing League's Cup to the US Open Cup final, the priority is going to be to have the best available 11 for that match. 100%. I think in my, like I said, I'm going to just guess. My opinion is that for Wednesday and Sunday's game, I think they will use Messi if they feel like they have to or that that will make a big difference in the game, meaning in the second half. I don't foresee him starting either game based just on the intel that's, you know, in the past. If he does, great. That means he's, you know, feeling great and he wants to get back into the swing of things. I think that for both of those games, if it's a really close game, I expect him to be subbed in to win, in my personal opinion. And then after, you know, depending on these two results, after the US Open Cup final, barring the Charlotte game away, if it can win out and or, you know, we need to get positive results and we can make the playoffs and we can maybe even be seventh or eighth in the playoffs, something like that, I feel fine. He's going to play every game. If things, you know, there could be other cards that are dealt in a bunch of different ways. But after the Open Cup final, if he can play, he's going to play. Like, if he feels healthy, he's going to play. If they have, if the results keep going in the direction that they need him to, he's going to play. I think that there are a lot of factors with his salary and his partnerships with different people that this isn't like the NBA where there's 82 games and, you know, sometimes there's low management. They even just passed a law, NBA law, like a week or two ago about how you can't sit two superstars the same night, which I think is actually for the best. But there's less games now. There's technically a four-month break, right? And so the season starts again. And with the amount of money MLS invested, they're not going to be very happy if he sits the rest of the season and doesn't play. They're not. And neither are the people who are paying for the different packages, the sponsorships, the fans. It won't be good. And so if injuries are not a factor in this, and it's really just going to be about tactical and finishing out the season as best as possible, getting that best 11 for the U.S. Open Cup, I think he's going to play a lot more than maybe we think now. From a mathematical standpoint, with the seven games remaining, obviously that alludes to 21 points possible. In years past, I think it was the last three years, the average number for ninth place in terms of points in MLS conferences is 45. Miami are 17 points removed from that, that number exactly. They're at 28 points right now. So with all that said, Miami have about four points at most on average that they can drop in the next seven matches in order to have a shot at making that 45 point line in order to be the ninth place team. Gian also made a really good point. A lot of these games that they have coming up are against teams that are directly ahead of them, two against Charlotte, one against New York City FC, one against Chicago. Those are going to be the really key ones. The Chicago one, especially, because right now with where Chicago stands, they're your main threat over D.C. United, because yes, they do sit back on the table. However, they do have a game in hand. Miami need to take that away from them with the win at Soldier Field in October. And if they do that, then it gives them a better shot. So they still probably have a game. Oh, God, I can't wait for that game. It'll be great. I will be there, by the way. So that will be awesome. Yeah, I'm excited for that. Yeah, so about four points. That's the wiggle room that you have. And I think that we've all come to the agreement that after these two matches, which they should win on Wednesday, we're going to talk everything Toronto. Don't worry, we've got it all coming. They should win on Wednesday. The Orlando game kind of really other than for personal pride in terms of the Sunshine Derby, South Florida Classical, whatever you want to call it, I don't care. Other than that, it doesn't necessarily matter as much as the other games going forward. So it's kind of everything that you have right now for all for preservation purposes, going into the US Open Cup Final. Then, as Ashley said, take it on a match-to-match basis to see if you're actually able to go ahead. Because as of right now, they are not in control of their own destiny. They can get to that point, but they're not in control of their own destiny. Results have gone their way. But who knows? They might completely change ship and everybody else might start winning. And then Miami are completely screwed. It's possible. All these things are possible. So it's really hard to project. But for right now, I think we all agree the main focus is for that US Open Cup Final match. All right, let's hear from one of our sponsors once more, and then we'll get into all things Toronto FCU versus Interplanet. Are you ready to transform your space into a masterpiece? Introducing Mosaics, your destination for stones and more. Mosaics is a family-owned business serving the community for over 20 years with the best quality porcelain, ceramic tiles, and high-end Mosaics featuring unique modern designs. Mosaics has everything you need. Dedicated customer service, wholesale distributors, and a passion for excellence. Make sure you visit mosaics.com today to turn your vision into a reality. Okay, thanks for listening to that Mosaics ad, Mosaics. Thank you very much. Toronto FC here on Wednesday. And I do think that it's important to cover a lot of what happened in that Atlanta match I'm gonna start with you because there is a fun one before we get to the infamous Inter-Miami back line, but we need to talk about Leonardo Cabana. He is on fire. He's a man on a mission. He signs a contract extension. You know, he scored in the last three matches consecutively, whether he started or been on the bench. He scored in all different kinds of ways. He's volleyed over Miles Robinson, who, by the way, when I was in Atlanta, Miles Robinson actually walked into the same restaurant that I was eating dinner at with his family. But, you know, so I gave him a little congratulations, but that was about it. There was so much to take away from Cabana's game in not only the Atlanta match, but the matches prior. How confident are you, Gian, and Leonardo Cabana right now? And how much of his success is vital to Inter-Miami success going forward? Look, so he, a man, he is just like our little banner says there. He is hot, hot. And I would say that I'm talking about soccer, actually. Yeah, I think Ashley might be thinking something else. I'm talking about soccer. But yeah, so on the field, Cabana is hot, man. He has scored five goals in his last three games. Six goals in his last four starts. He is on another level right now. And in Fuego, yeah, for real. And I think that, man, it is tough to take out a player that is producing that much and put them to start on the bench. Like, I don't know of many teams that would do that. One, because obviously you need the production on the field. Number two, because you don't want to stunt growth. You don't want to take a player that is in a crazy streak and all of a sudden just subdue him and ice him out. That's something that's not typically done. So, man, I think that he's going to start until he, I don't know, somehow has some sort of a lull in his production and maybe he's not as hot anymore. I don't know. But right now, man, he is really important to this team, especially stepping up when Messi hasn't been on the field. He's been able to kind of put the team on his back offensively and be there for players like Farias and others to connect with him and place balls for him to be able to score in the box. And I think now more than ever, against a Toronto side that really struggles against that attacking presence in the area, I think that Campana is probably going to have another big game against Toronto, in my opinion. You know, I was watching Toronto-Vancouver, the recap of that game, and they were struggling a lot with passes into the area. Actually, one of the goals was a pass, I believe it was a center in the air, ended up being a header. And I was like, that's what Campana does. Like, that's probably what we're going to see when it's Inter against Toronto. So, man, I expect him to continue this. He'll continue it tomorrow. I don't want to get ahead of my predictions, but let's just say he's going to score. And yeah, as long as he's doing well, the rest of the team is going to do well, too. I think they're counting on him. We don't know what's going to happen with Messi. You know, Messi accounts for a big part of the production on both the assists and the scoring. So when you've got Campana and you've got a player like Farias, you've got, I think the offense with Campana on the field is set to continue doing very well, despite whatever else happens in the midfield or the defense. At least we know the offense is going to continue doing well with Campana on the field. I do have confidence that everybody else is going to get better, but we can talk about that in a bit. Before you go, Ashley, I want to say one thing about Toronto. Maybe this will add to your point. Toronto FC have won one match in all competitions since May 28th. May 28th. They have won one match in all competitions. To have a player like Leonardo Campana up front, who is in form, who can take over, I guess, a defensive line like he did against Atlanta by himself at times without the aid if it's not needed, I think that gives you a better chance to win. Other than his looks, Ashley, which we can talk about in a whole other show, what are we saying about Campana? He's going to make so much money off of his looks and his goal-scoring tongue yet again. He's going to get so many sponsorships, it's not even funny. And he's in goal-scoring form where not all of them are easy goals, but they seem easy to him because of how confident he is right now in his ability, which is great. And against Toronto, and I'm guessing we're going to do the lineup soon, and you guys know how I think about my lineups. They never lose except for Friday because I didn't know we didn't have two people playing. But Toronto, it's an interesting story, and maybe one we should look into because you want to talk about fumbling the bag. Insigne and Bernadeschi are two, or were, as of last year, two top, top-class footballers who were playing in Serie A who were on the Euro-winning Italy national team and huge parts of it. I mean, these are great players that have seemingly been swallowed in MLS and swallowed within their team that they're giving poor results to players who really, on their own, couldn't win games. And so it really makes you think, what could have happened or what is happening there that's caused such a massive drop-off? And I know there were some injuries throughout the year, but still, you know, Bernadeschi is a hell of a playmaker. That surprises me a little bit, just in general, what's happened with Toronto. Yeah, and to remind me, with the players in form, you're going to see a side who I think is going to regain their confidence and try and build the momentum going into next week. And it helps that the games are dry pink, I must say. And I think that other than the positives up front with Leonardo Campana, it's important to address kind of what happened at the back, you know, with Tomas Avales, Kamal Miller. It was a rough one to watch, and it was so hard to witness because, as people who have listened to the show may recall, we had all been talking so well about Kamal Miller and Tomas Avales over the last week or so. They had been playing almost out of their minds, especially in that Sporting Kansas City game, where I thought that they played, you know, some outstanding minutes, at least up until the final 10. Yes, there have been signs that something like this might happen, but a debacle to this extent wasn't necessarily on the cards. Does it, I mean, it does obviously frustrate you, but does it give you any worry that Tata is going to have to change up this partnership that he's tried to build? You know, he talked about Kamal Miller and Tomas Avales playing together in a back four, and that being a new partnership, and then he's stuck with it even when Kristof came back from international duty. Does he go back to Sergey Kristof? Does he go back to a back five with three center backs just to, you know, get a grip on this Toronto game, especially at home, to make it more secure, or does he continue to ride it out? I'm curious to hear, Ashley, what you think Tata Martino might do with the back line here on Wednesday night. So yeah, I think first and foremost, Atlanta. I just, and you know, this isn't an glorified answer. I think they just had no gas in the tank, physically and mentally. I just, the amount of running those two have had to do, and also Kamal Miller more than Tomas Avales, but Avales is still brand new to playing in MLS. He's so young. I think they both just, they just didn't have it in the tank. I really do. I don't think it was necessarily a reflection on their partnership or their abilities. I think it just was one of those matches where it just got really out of hand and they lost all of it inside. What do I think that's going to turn into? I, do we do our lineups or do you want me to just say what I think the defense is like? We can go straight into the lineups. I'm ready for it. So I think we're getting a back five. I think we're 3-5-2. I agree. 4-5-3-2. I think they're the same thing. They are the same thing. Yeah, they're the same thing. It's about offense versus defense. I think that we're going to have center backs with Kristoff and I think you may see Ryan Saylor play tomorrow as a sub. I think right back, it's going to be Yedlin. Left back, I think it's, I really think it's going to be Alba. I'm messy. I think there's definitely a lot of smoke and mirrors with Alba is younger and I'd be very surprised if Alba didn't play as a starting left back. In the middle, it's going to be Arroyo and Busquets. I don't know who the third person is going to be. I really don't. I think it may be Ruiz instead of Karmosky. We'll see. Okay. I know. And then I think it's all very dependent on if Messi plays or not. It's going to be Ruiz and then up top, you're going to have Campana and Farias. That's what I think it's going to be. I kind of am on the same wavelength there. Other than I think that you might have to play Karmosky over David Ruiz. You need a little bit of that. But I also think that David Ruiz has more defensive tenacity than Benjamin Karmosky does. If they're really trying to secure it, maybe play through the wings with Jordi Alba and DeAndre Yedlin and try and get those crosses into Campana. Maybe you use David Ruiz to help build more of a fort in front of the center backs. I'm not sure, but I'm not going to count. Do you want to hear something really crazy? This is really crazy. This is mad science. And you're going to be like how Arteta right now. Don't be surprised or be surprised, but there's a 5% chance you see Robert Taylor starting his right back over Yedlin. He's a winger. Yeah. I hate it, but yeah. Because if Yedlin is just really, really tired and they want to preserve him or whatever, and they're going to do it where they want the wingers to play way up. If they do go with a very defensive field, you may see Alba and Robert Taylor on the two wings. I've said crazier things. No, yeah. To be honest, that would just hurt my soul a little bit, but I am so ready for that. We'd play him so up. It won't be like Neville. Play him so up. I mean, Tata's done it before, right? And it didn't look as great until they had to push forward. So I don't know if you could see it from the starting whistle. I definitely see it as a possibility. And maybe you bring DeAndre Yedlin on late and move up Robert Taylor. I'm not sure. But anything Ashley says in terms of lineups, you can't rule out. Gian, where do you stand? I feel like that was like a daily fantasy pick that you just did there. Where you put a player that's used the least amount in lineups, like that one percent. Right, right. When they're trying to get the creativity on the wings, Robert Taylor is more creative than Yedlin. No, yeah, he is 100%. Yeah, sure. So before I do my lineup, I just want to touch on something real quick about the previous topic in regards to the Kamal Miller and Aviles as centerbacks. I just want to say, let's also not have short-term memory, because we were praising these guys a couple of weeks ago about how well they were doing. And it wasn't just them. The entire team was off this last game. And for those of us who have watched a lot of soccer, we've seen some of the best teams out of nowhere look like some of the worst teams. I've seen Barcelona get beat by teams at the bottom of the table. And that's what I felt like I was watching against Atalanta. Not that Inter is Barcelona at the top of the table, but I saw a team that just wasn't themselves. It was quite different. I didn't see them being overmatched. I would have been more, I think, bothered if I would have seen them playing their game and just been completely outmatched. They were outmatched because they were playing so poorly and against a team that is so good attacking. Atalanta is one of the teams that scores the most goals in MLS that you can't make it that easy for them. And that's what Kamal Miller and Aviles did. They made it even easier for a team that doesn't need any help scoring by being very imprecise in their passes. Two of the goals that we got scored on were because Aviles made a bad pass that ended up getting intercepted and a right-of-way counterattack. Then on the left, same thing with Miller. Bad pass, counterattack, score. So I think that that was, as long as they can get that part fixed and be more precise, more accurate with their passes, I think they're going to be okay. So I wouldn't worry about Aviles and Miller moving forward. I wouldn't put Kristoff because to me, it seems like Aviles is who they've picked as their CB for the future. One of the worst things that you can do, I think, for a young guy is take away his confidence by saying, hey, you had one guy to go to the bench. It's the same way in basketball. You got to let shooters shoot. When Duncan Robinson was sticking it up in the heat, they told him, keep shooting. Keep shooting. Spill told him, keep shooting. Same thing you got to do with Aviles, in my opinion. Don't stunt his growth. Just give him the confidence. You'll do better and keep him in. And moving on from that, hey, I'm not worried about the defense against Toronto one bit. Like, we can stink it up like last game. It doesn't matter. They are not scoring on. They are not a team that scores. They, look, they have 24 goals through 28 matches. If you do the math, that's less than one goal to match that they're averaging. 0.85 to be exact. I did the math before. I'm not doing it in my case. Like, wow, this guy's really smart. But so Colorado has scored less than 18 goals in the MLS, which is the only team that has scored less goals than Toronto. They've also been held scoreless 15 times. There's 15 games this season they have not scored. In May, they went three games back to back to back without scoring. Yo, we could play without a defensive line. Let's just play six players. They're not going to score. We'll be fine. So do not. You do not put this into the atmosphere after last week. OK, you are. Golly, I'm just not. I am just not worried. Again, let's do a fun side. It was to sum up. It was an anomaly last game. The defense is going to be fine. Toronto is not a scoring team. We have to worry about. They're not Atlanta. We'll be OK. So taking that into consideration, I think we've got calendar calendar in the back that nobody's ever going to take his spot unless they end up. He ends up leaving the team, which I mean, he's doing so well that was bound to happen. But on the left, if Alba doesn't play, I think it's Noah again. He I we praised him before Alba got here. He used to play so well back when Robert Taylor was playing on the left wing. So he's going to stay there. I think it's Kamal Miller. I think it. Yeah, come on, Miller. And I will listen. You've got yet another right. The middle for me, the best lineup we have in the middle is always going to be and and then up top, you're going to have Farias Campana. And then on the right, I want to see Gomez. The last time we saw Farias and Gomez playing as wings, I loved it. I thought it was amazing. That's the only thing I don't know if Gomez is fine. I don't know if there's been any updates. I don't think he's available. If he's not available on the right, I think maybe you play Just to start, I remember that you that's something that you broke your little magic eight ball and. Yeah, I would like to see definitely over Robert Taylor, if it's between those two for that position. Yeah, Robert Taylor didn't do it. He felt it's not against him. I think he's tired, too. Yeah, yeah. But he looked he just looked uncomfortable. His best play has always been on the left. He looked uncomfortable, whether it was to your point, maybe just fatigue, Ashley, or I don't know. But he did not look good on that right wing. So if it's not Gomez, then I think it's definitely on the right. Interesting. OK, yeah, a couple of differing opinions. And I feel like most of the time, at least formation wise, we're pretty, you know, on on the same wavelength. But I can see it going both ways. I'm more, you know, more so expecting a three center back formation like Ashley is. But hey, listen, John's 433 is definitely not out of the cards. He hasn't shied away from it in the last couple of matches. That's a Martino. So we'll have to go ahead and see if that's something that he decides to stick with or move away from. Is it necessarily a panic move if he goes to back to three center backs? Kind of not really. I think it's more so make sure you're secure and go ahead and win the match. Speaking of winning the match, it's time for our favorite part of the show predictions. Today, our predictions are brought to you by a brand new podcast sponsor, Simplify. Simplify, very simply, is simple IT for you. They offer a wide spectrum of flexible business technology solutions, such as consulting, technical help desk, which I think Jian needs right now. Yeah, IT support. So hardware and cabling installations for any small and medium sized business is Simplify is simple IT for you. Big thanks to Eric over there at Simplify and to them helping us out and supporting the show. You can reach the number 888-294-2083 or go to Simplify.com and get everything that you need to know from there. All right, guys. I was going through it. My light turned off, my screen turned off, everything. I picked something by accident, so I was going through it. I appreciate you guys though. Oh man, I've had that happen before. I've had that happen before. I was on an I was actually on an Italian soccer podcast and we were talking about the World Cup or something and I was turning off my TV. My TV is connected to the same outlet as the LED lights are behind me. And so it clicked a certain button that like turned it into like a disco room. And so everybody's just like talking in the background and there was like disco lights going on. It was great. Anyway, anyway. Predictions. I'll start and I will say that Into Miami win. Just point blank 3-1. Cabana scores 2 yet again. That's my that's my prediction. Right away off the bat. 3-1. Cabana scores twice. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. Ashley. 2-1. That's my prediction. It's Cabana scoring. Two goals in the beginning. And then they get one back at the end. Okay. I'm going to go with Cabana scores two goals in a 4-0 win. 4-0. I go for it. That'd be great. Toronto's not scoring. Like I know that. Really? Toronto's not scoring. I think Cabana's going to get a lot of chances. Gian may have rigged this game with the refs. He's very confident. This is the only thing I'm scared of. Last time we had that post game, people were commenting that we jinxed that Atlanta game. So I'm afraid that I'm going to call it heat. Well, that's what they said. They didn't they didn't name me specifically. Maybe that was the one game that I was. You and Austin. Okay. I was more confident than any game that Miami have had since since Messi joined. Right. And that's a problem. But Messi didn't play. So like I feel like it should just be no and void. And there was no jinx. It was really just down to Messi not playing. But for this one, I'll go on record right now and say I don't care if Messi plays or not. Miami still win the match. Yeah. All right. I'm going to do that. Now you can call me a jinx. Can I do a part A and part B? I'm going to go. Sorry. I'm going to go 3-0. No Messi. 4-0 Messi. That's fine. Oh, okay. I agree. I think we're going to we should be winning regardless. But if they if the comments call for jinxes, I simply won't be a part of it. Will not allow my name to be tarnished. Fair enough. I guess you can play it safe. But we're all right. I said that they're going to win. I think they are going to win. I'm just not saying, oh, we're going to win 8-0. We don't need to play defense. Are you talking about me? Yeah, that was you. That was all Gian. I wonder who said that. Like, oh, I'll play and we'll still like I can play defense and they won't score. Like, that's the energy you're putting out. All right. That's what the numbers say. I think you're right. That was an outstanding wrap up to the show. A lot of laughs, a lot of smiles. Thank you, Sublitify. And thank you, Mosaics. Thank you, La Quazura. Thank you, this Atlanta match that even though, you know, they played poorly, we still have high spirits. We're still ready for NYU to go ahead and play an MLS match here on Messy and Kill. So with that said, I think we covered just about everything. For everybody at Messy and Kill, Gian, Ashley, myself, everybody on the Five Region Sports Network YouTube channel, thank you so much for tuning in and listening. If you're watching here on YouTube, go ahead and hit the subscribe button, turn on notifications, hit the like button, and make sure you stay tuned for all of our live post-game shows and preview recordings. If you're listening on the podcast platforms, thank you so much. Make sure you download the episodes and rate the show five stars, please. That would be very, very lovely. Leave a comment as well. Follow us on Twitter at Messy and Co. Drop comments and replies anytime to any of our tweets. We're covering it from Miami on a daily basis. And for anybody who is on one side or the other, go ahead and search on the other platform. It does us a huge, huge favor. All right, everybody. Thank you very much. We will see you guys post-game and even maybe some preview content from DriveThink Stadium on Wednesday here on Five Region Sports. And for everybody at Messy and Kill yet again, thank you so much for listening. We'll see you guys next time.