Javier Mascherano arrives at Inter Miami as coach, 5 years after team first pursued him to play. The first few minutes of Javier Mascherano’s introductory news conference as Inter Miami coach on Tuesday were rough. He was coughing, struggling to get words out and needed a few sips of water before finally calming down. “Air conditioning in Miami,” he explained. “It causes me problems.” Luckily for Mascherano, Inter Miami’s matches are played outside. Lionel Messi’s former teammate is now Lionel Messi’s coach, and Mascherano — hired last week to replace Gerardo “Tata” Martino — is already in his new office, working toward a training camp that will start next month. “I am convinced I can do it,” Mascherano said. “I have no doubt.” Mascherano — Messi’s teammate with Barcelona and Argentina’s national team — was the hire after a brisk search that took only a few days to complete once Martino informed Inter Miami that he wasn’t returning for personal reasons
