Inter Miami head coach Javier Mascherano insists the club is a contender to win the 2025 Major League Soccer Cup, calling the competition "very even."
Inter Miami currently sits in fourth place on the Eastern Conference table with 56 points in 30 games, with the mathematical possibility to still clinch the 2025 Supporters' Shield.
"I think we've done enough throughout the season to be considered, we've proven to be a serious team," Mascherano said.
"Clearly, we would have liked to have been a little more consistent at times, but we go back to the same thing. Playing as much as we have, finding consistency is often difficult, due to fatigue, burnout, and a host of situations. As far as our conference is concerned, I see everything as very even," he said.
"The truth is that, even today, seeing Columbus fighting there in the play-in zone, it surprises me because it is one of the teams that, in my opinion, is the most attractive and that I like the most, but due to this type of injuries and wear and tear, it has been falling in recent days. It is all very even.
"On the other side, I have not looked too deeply but clearly Vancouver Whitecaps is a team that we have faced and I think it is very strong, Seattle is very strong, San Diego is a team that I like a lot. Its way of playing is somewhat similar to what Columbus does. I think that Los Angeles FC with the arrival of Son has taken a very, very, very big step forward."
The Herons have played a total of 48 competitive games this season in all competitions, including the Concacaf Champions Cup, the FIFA Club World Cup, Leagues Cup and the MLS regular-season. In just September, Inter Miami will have played six matches.
Due to the congested schedule, Mascherano explained that the team's training sessions will be impacted as the club prioritizes recovery.
"[The team will train] little, little because we were training yesterday with the group that didn't play on Saturday so in the end we need to recover them. They are playing for two weeks, too many games so we didn't train too much. We need to recover and be ready for the game on Tuesday," Mascherano said.
Inter Miami already qualified for the 2025 MLS playoffs, but will continue to chase victories in order to secure home-field advantage in the post-season.