Javier Mascherano believes that the dominant victory of Inter Miami has shown the courage on the Columbus -Manning prior to their club World Cup campaign.
After four games without a victory in MLS (D2 L2), Miami won their last two games, including a 5-1 victory over the crew, led by Lionel Messi.
It was Miami's last match for the Club World Cup, where they are already playing Ahly, Porto and Palmeiras in the group phase, with their first match that took place against the Egyptian side on June 14.
The victory also lifted the herons back to third place in the Eastern Conference, and Mascherano acknowledged how important it was for their self -confidence for the tournament.
“Winning in this way gives us confidence, it shows us that we are brave,” said Mascherano.
“Then the Club World Cup is a different story. The level with which we are confronted is much higher than what we have confronted in Concacaf and MLS.
“If we are at the same level or not, we will show it in June. I think if we are united as a team, we can compete.”
Messi was the star for Miami against Columbus, because he immediately had a hand in four of their five goals on Saturday.
He had two or more goals and two or more assists in the same game for the 13th time in his club career, and the first since October 2022.
Messi is now a maximum of 15 goals involvement at MLS this year (10 goals, five assists), most of each player in the competition.
“I see him every game. We see the same thing,” Mascherano added to their star player. “We try to help him as much as possible.
“It is clear that he is the best player who has ever played this game. And we must understand that when he is not brilliant, that's because one of us fails. That is the reality.”