"That guy is washed", "Where is Cremaschi" - Fans unhappy to see 20-year-old start for Inter Miami alongside Lionel Messi against Nashville
Lionel Messi will make his first start in the MLS tonight when Inter Miami faces Nashville but fans aren't too excited to see Diego Gomez starting.
The Herons square off against Nashville in a rematch from their Leagues Cup final win that saw Vice City clinch their first major trophy. Messi was at his superb best throughout the tournament, finishing as top scorer with 10 goals in just seven appearances.
Lionel Messi was selected on the bench for Inter Miami's first MLS game since his arrival last time out. They beat New York Red Bulls 2-0 with the legendary forward coming off the bench to score yet again.
Herons fans will be able to watch the 36-year-old from the off against Nashville as Gerardo Martino has opted to start the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner. The Argentine coach's team to face Nashville is as follows:
Drake Callender continues in goal with DeAndre Yedlin, Tomas Aviles, Kamal Miller, and Jordi Alba in defense. Meanwhile, Sergio Busquets is joined in midfield by Dixon Arroyo and Diego Gomez. Lionel Messi will form a frontline with Robert Taylor and Josef Martinez.
However, it's Messi's teammate Gomez's selection that has irked fans. The 20-year-old arrived at DRV PNK Stadium earlier this summer from Paraguayan side Libertad. He has one goal in seven games for Martino's side thus far. However, it appears fans prefer the exciting American youngster Benjamin Cremaschi to start.
One fan reacted to the team news with disappointment over Gomez's selection:
"What is this Coach trying to prove with gomez? That guy is washed. Start cremaschi instead."
Another fan tweeted:
"Good lineup, Tata finally returned to 4-3-3, but Gomez again? Where is Cremaschi?"
Here's how Twitter reacted to Martino's Inter Miami XI:
Inter Miami manager Gerardo Martino insists his side must get used to winning without Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi may have made a scintillating start to life with Inter Miami but the Herons' manager has warned his fellow teammates they need to perform in his absence. The Argentine icon started on the bench in the 2-0 win over Red Bulls but came off the bench to keep up his hot goalscoring streak.
Martino stressed the importance of his side continuing their impressive winning run without Messi when he is called up by Argentina. He said (via The Mirror):
“Leo’s going to miss at least three games. He's going to get called up by his national team and others too, and we know the team needs to continue to win in these times."
The legendary forward started his debut for Vice City on the bench before coming on to score a memorable winner in a 2-1 victory. Martino alluded to this by insisting that his side played well for the first hour while he wasn't on the pitch:
“’I think it's the first time we played without him since the Cruz Azul match (Messi's debut). The response of the team without him was great for the first hour."
Martino concluded:
"We controlled the match for large portions and took the lead. We needed to do this so that we knew we could win without him. The response was satisfactory.”
Lionel Messi's arrival at DRV PNK has seen a dramatic turnaround in form for the Herons. They have won six and drawn three of nine fixtures and the three draws were all won on penalties by Vice City. Inter Miami were in dismal form before Messi joined, losing five, drawing three, and winning one of nine games.