Javier Mascherano explains squad rotation after Lionel Messi-less Inter Miami held to draw by DC United

Inter Miami has opened up on squad rotation amidst Lionel Messi's absence in their 1-1 draw against DC United in the MLS on Saturday. He said that he wanted to give proper chances to other players as well.

Lionel Messi sat on the bench due to an injury as Inter Miami locked horns with DC United at Audi Field in Washington on Saturday. Head Coach Javier Mascherano also went for Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets, and Rodrigo de Paul on the bench for the game. The dropped points on the back of a 1-1 draw.

After the game, Mascherano clarified his decision saying:

"We've played 41 matches, we wanted to give other players a chance. We need the entire squad, it was a clear decision for us, and by the end of the match I believe it was the right one."

Sharing thoughts on the match and the impact of the substitutions, i.e., Suarez, Busquets, and De Paul, Mascherano said:

“It was one half for each team. In the first half they had the intensity and we let them play. In the second half we played in their half from the start, we were the team we wanted to be. The substitutions helped the team. The feeling is that if we had played with that same intensity from the start, we could have won the game.”

Jackson Hopkins opened the scoring for DC United in the 13th minute before Baltasar Rodriguez scored the equalizer for Inter Miami in the 64th minute.

Update on Lionel Messi injury

Lionel Messi has picked up an injury. He featured off the bench in Inter Miami's 3-1 win over LA Galaxy in the MLS on August 16. But he missed their Leagues Cup quarter-final clash against Tigres Unal on August 20.

Inter Miami won the game 2-1, but head coach Javier Mascherano was sent off. After the match, assistant manager Javier Morales spoke about why Lionel Messi did not played in the game and said:

"Everyone talked with Leo, we’re always present. We rely on how Leo feels, and it wasn’t the best. We preferred not to take risks, not to go backward in his recovery, and to play it safe by not having him in the match."

Lionel Messi has amassed 25 goals and 11 assists in just 32 games across all competitions this season.