So far, so good: What we learned from Inter Miami’s friendly win against Club America | OneFootball

Liga MX champions Club America easily outplayed Major League Soccer’s defending Supporters’ Shield holders Saturday in Las Vegas, but Inter Miami’s scrappy, energetic effort and late heroics by youngsters Tomas Aviles, Rocco Rio Novo and Santiago Morales lifted the Heron’s to a well-deserved 2-2 (3-2) penalty shootout win in 2025’s first preseason match.

It was just a friendly, but it felt much more important; Inter Miami set a new MLS record for points earned in 2024 (74), but failed to reach the finals of any competition. It’s unclear whether that failure affected Tata Martino’s decision to resign at the end of the season, but it IS certain that Herons’ fans, players and owners considered the year a disappointment. When the world’s greatest soccer player of all-time (Lionel Messi), three of his close friends and former teammates who also happen to be generational talents at their positions (Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets and Louis Suarez), and talented cast of role players are on your roster, trophies are expected.

Javier Mascherano | Ethan Miller/GettyImages

Enter Javier Mascherano. The 40-year-old Spaniard also is a friend and former teammate of Messi’s and was an outstanding center back in his time, but he remains untested as a manager. His only experience has been with Argentina’s youth teams, and his results were not encouraging. Still Inter Miami’s owners believe Mascherano’s relationship with his Barcelona alumni and several young Herons he worked with in Argentina’s system, as well as his years of defensive excellence at the highest levels of the sport, make him the right man to lead the Herons’ quest for international respect.

On Saturday, in a preseason friendly, their faith was rewarded. Miami didn’t lead in the match until Morales, the 17-year-old son of Herons assistant coach Javier Morales, cheekily booted in the winning penalty kick. Messi scored a first-half equalizer after Club America took an early lead. The Eagles went ahead again in the second half when Rio Novo bobbled a save in front of goal, and Club America seemed headed for a 2-1 win until Tomas “Toto” Aviles headed home a corner cross from Julian Gressel in the 92nd minute. Rio Novo more than made up for his earlier miscue with two penalty kick saves.