Inter Miami Coach Assigns Blame After Loss to Vancouver

"We must learn as a team from tonight and find a way to come back on Wednesday," Mascherano told reporters after the match, pointing toward the second leg in Miami next week when IMCF will attempt to pull off a miracle comeback.

"We lost today, and I'm the one primarily responsible," Mascherano said. "I continue to believe in this team."

The Argentinian coach faced criticism from fans for his simplistic tactics and lack of desire to change the game with substitutions when it became apparent that the likes of Luis Suarez and Sergio Busquets were struggling to keep up with younger and fitter Vancouver players.

Though Mascherano shielded his players from the blame, he did not show confidence in the attacking options available on the bench. The lack of subs only amplified the frustration among fans stemming from Inter Miami letting key players Robert Taylor and Julian Gressel leave at the MLS transfer deadline on Wednesday.

As disappointing as the first leg was, Mascherano did not waver in his belief. The coach will take confidence from the way his team dug its way out of a deeper hole in the last round. 

Inter Miami lost 1-0 away from home to LAFC in the first leg of the quarterfinal. The second leg deficit reached 2-0 on aggregate with 60 minutes left in the tie, before Messi sparked a remarkable turnaround at Chase Stadium that ended in a 3-2 aggregate win.

It is not ideal to be down 2-0 again, but this time, Messi, Mascherano and the Herons will have all 90 minutes to try to create some more Miami magic.