Inter Miami CF head coach Javier Mascherano lashed out at referee Joe Dickerson's decision to show Ian Fray a red card after the final whistle was blown in his team's 4-1 win over Houston Dynamo FC on Sunday, labeling the action as worrying.
Following the end of the game at Shell Energy Stadium, Dynamo player Ethan Andrew Bartlow continuously tugged at Fray's jersey from behind before the Miami defender reacted by pushing the opponent. The referee, who was standing right next to Fray and Bartlow, immediately signaled the red card against the Miami defender.
"I saw the video. Ian did nothing," Mascherano said after the match. "He did absolutely nothing. He wants to go to the dressing room and the rival holds him by the shirt and tries to get it out once, twice, three times, and the referee is next to him, he's watching him. That's what worries me. That's what worries me, because he didn't do anything.
"When my players do nothing, I kill for them. Even if it costs whatever it costs. Today again, we were winning 4-1, the game was over, two or three fouls that were not yellow and filled us with yellows, I'm not going to shut up anymore. There are things that I'm not going to shut up about. And in this case, he didn't do anything. Absolutely nothing.
"Because in the end there is something that cannot be changed, which is reality, what you see with your eyes. And what we all see, that must be considered, that is not subjective. So I would like the journalists who are the ones who see it, also give their opinion on this. When something is wrong, it's wrong and it's over. This is how it is for me. As if we were wrong, we will also say it, but honestly, not this one, not the one with Ian."
Inter Miami trounced Houston without star Lionel Messi. Mascherano admitted he chose to rest the star forward following a conversation about the player's physical state after playing three games in the span of 10 days.
In Messi's absence, Luis Suárez stepped up to lead the offense by providing three assists and one goal to inspire the triumph.
"Everything he has done in football, he's one of the best five forward centers in the world in the last 10 years. He's played in great teams, he's had a very big influence on everyone. Not only in Barcelona, but also in Liverpool, Atlético Madrid. Obviously, for me it's a privilege as a coach to train this type of player," said Mascherano of Suárez.
"We know that Luis is in a stage of his career where we have to try to go and do everything we can because he's a player who has always helped a lot in the defensive aspect. I said it the other day, he's not only doing everything in the offensive phase, but also everything he gives us in that first pressure, how he organizes his teammates. He's a very intelligent guy, he understands the game in a very special way, and that's very difficult to find in football."
Goals from new signings Tadeo Allende and Telasco Segovia also helped the Herons to secure the three points.
Inter Miami will now shift focus to the Concacaf Champions Cup round of 16 first-leg match against Jamaican side Cavalier FC at Chase Stadium on Thursday, March 6.