As Club América prepares for its round of 16 match with Major League Soccer side Nashville SC, Luis Malagón made it clear during a media interview that the team is not caught up in Messi-mania.
"No, it is not an issue that moves us,” he said. “You speak of the magnitude of a great player, but we are focused on America. What we do is more important, what others can do. We saw the game just finishing training, it is not something that makes us lose sleep.”
But despite making it clear the club wasn’t too concerned with Lionel Messi’s on-field exploits, Malagón did acknowledge what it would mean to match up against the Argentine striker.
“I hope it happens,” he said “It would be nice to face one of the best in the world."
Interestingly enough, Messi has almost faced Club América once before.
In 2006, Club América represented CONCACAF in the FIFA Club World Cup and was eventually eliminated in the semifinals by Messi’s FC Barçelona. But the Argentine striker was out for the tournament due to an injury he suffered earlier in the year.
Club América and Inter Miami CF can only cross paths if the two clubs reach the Leagues Cup 2023 final. Malagón made it clear that winning the tournament is a top priority.
“In our DNA we have the desire to win to give satisfaction to our fans,” he said.
Club América has looked like a tournament favorite to win through most of its run to the round of 16. Las Águilas looked dominant in a 4-0 win over St. Louis City in its opening match. They followed up that big win with an historic 4-1 loss to Columbus Crew. Despite that, they stil made it through the group stage and handled the Chicago Fire with a 1-0 win.
Inter Miami CF has already made its way into the quarterfinals and looks like the favorite to win the tournament. Led by Messi, the club as won four straight matches en route to the quarterfinals. In that run, Messi has scored a brace in three straight matches and has at least a goal in all of their matches.
