They will have a tight preseason window since they will be playing in the Champions Cup. If they want to do moneygrab friendlies, it would be easier and perhaps more lucrative to just put a game or two in an NFL stadium in a city they won't visit during the season.
I'm sure the team is pretty knackered in general but Messi and Alba missing seems to have put the team in a bit of a funk. Some of these guys that were playing out of their minds - Cremaschi, Robert Taylor, etc. look pretty average now at best. Even Busquets doesn't look very good. There was probably a "Messi effect" where they were all super energized at first, but now coming back to earth. They were pretty solidly outplayed by NYCFC, which is a pretty mediocre team - at home.
This is a great thread. It's the best thread on the site for the topic, which is kinda weird because I'd expect to find it in the General forum. Do you mind if an AU fan participates? We've had some really great games and I think of San Jose fondly.
We or I welcome outside posters. Especially ones who don’t engage in frivolous, problematic meaningless posts that have nothing to do with the threads. That seems very evident in the MLS: News & Analysis who have posters who don't post about the game or threads but mostly know it all arrogant people who just like to ridicule and pick fights. I am sure there is some of that on here as well but most of us Quakes fans appreciate and know the game and that is mostly all we care and post about. As far as Messi is concerned, Miami drew again last night and their playoff chances are almost all but gone. Sadly, as far at this season is concerned, he came too late but I'm sure he will do better next year.
Really?? The Quakes forum is probably the most bickering forum on BigSoccer. If you can wade thru that I *guess* there might me some worthwhile discussion. I don’t think anyone would mind.
SCOOP: a source indicated that Lionel Messi sustained a 2 cm hamstring tear, confirmed via MRI, likely shutting him down for the remainder of the MLS season. The injury was picked up during Argentina’s WCQ match against Ecuador before being reaggravated against Toronto.— Caden DeLisa (@CadDeLisa) October 1, 2023
That’s too bad if it’s true. Lionel now needs to rest up and heal while his four Miami housemates take care of him. GO SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES!!! -G
What? So it wasn't "muscle fatigue"? Weird - one of the most valuable athletes in the world, and they couldn't find that in an MRI sooner?
If it were you or I, we’d have to go through six weeks of ineffectual PT before insurance would authorize an MRI. May I presume that’s different for Leo?
Oh come on, Jazzy. This just means that Jorge Mas was keeping the truth under wraps while selling hospitality seats. I’m sure they did the MRI in Ecuador as soon as it happened.
Well, he came back and played against Toronto though, and it seems like a bad thing to be playing on a hamstring tear? They said they had the images from Argentina when he came back and there was no muscle injury they claimed. But seems doubtful that they didn't do an MRI soon after he came back to double-check. It does seem "fishy" except for the part about playing against Toronto.
Good point. Tata is kind of denying the report, but his denial is an odd sort of non-denial. It's kind of "well, we'll see who's right". It's been over a month. Why can't they articulate what's been bothering him? We went from "muscle fatigue" to "old scar tissue that's bothering him". “Time will tell whether what I am saying is true or whether that person who made the report is right,” Martino said in his post-match press conference. “It is what I said. We’re going to see this game to game. “We’re going to evaluate him. If he’s going to be on the bench, if he’s going to be [unavailable], whether against Chicago or FC Cincinnati, we’re going to see that. He’s training on the field apart from the group, but he’s feeling better and better.” https://prosoccerwire.usatoday.com/2023/10/01/messi-injury-inter-miami-martino-mls/
I think they're just being mum on the injury and waiting to see what happens before a full shut down. I think that's alright. If the information starts coming from some of the other sources even if biased, I'd start to put a little meat to the bone. Scar Tissue Issue injures do occur and can either hurt like hell or be subliminal. I have scar tissue pain sometimes.
Yeah, could very well be the scar tissue thing. Then the question is strain or tear. Based on what Tata is saying sounds more like a strain. The weird thing is that the initial report on Messi is that it was "muscle fatigue", which is a more generalized thing, and seems like they should have known the whole time it was a specific area. As for Alba, they initially said muscle fatigue also but now they're saying hamstring injury. But the hamstring injury could have happened in the Toronto game.
Thanks! Well, this is what I wanted to ask you. Why is it "sadly", especially since your own club is still in contention for the postseason? How would you feel about losing an MLS Cup final to a team that was allowed to bend the rules to get players when your club won't be given that opportunity? From my end, it's "If they make it, they do" and I would consider it unfortunate if we drew them. It's difficult for me to watch the league offices deliberately load up one team with talent to promote the league even as they use playoffs and salary restrictions to make sure nobody else pursues greatness. And of course, there IS no "coach yours up/don't complain" that will successfully combat what the league is doing here. MLS will get more eyes and more money as the world tunes in to watch one team. Fans of clubs not called Inter Miami are going to have to suffer while that one team wins everything. People can say whatever they wish, but Messi can't make a playoff and salary cap league any better. All he can do is get more people to pay to watch it and talk about it. We're already better on the pitch than the bottom half of UEFA, and have no business aspiring to the top half until we fix the way we run the competition. I don't see that coming.
I don't think the players deserve to be injured --as I said, I have no hatred for Messi or Alba or Biscuits-- but the league 100% deserves to have this blow up in their faces. Here you have owners like Arthur Blank willing to spend but you won't let them, yet you'll throw money and future ownership deals at three guys to make one team...
I'm not sad about it. It's sad for the league and their (Miami & Messi) fans but I'm actually glad seeing them suffer through this. As a kid, I was a huge NY Cosmos fan and I couldn't think of anything better than watching them. Then again, I'm also a Quakes fan first and foremost and always would root my team to watch them lose. Everyone wants to beat the top team with the best players. Of course, they do. I also praise Taylor Twellman in criticizing Houston Dynamo fan in wearing a Messi jersey. It in my opinion, almost defeats the purpose. I mean why root for an opposing team? This isn’t 1996 where you have 20,000 Mexican fans in San Jose rooting for the Galaxy against San Jose just because Jorge Campos is playing for them. By now, MLS and/or North American soccer fans are or should more sophisticated and should be rooting for their hometown club. I recall many Roma, Milan and Juventus fans showing up to watch Maradona and Napoli but they never would root for them. If anything, they jeered and whistled him at every turn. This is the same for all home fans around the world.