Xavier Mascherano, head coach of Inter Miami, said that the team was not informed in advance that US President Donald Trump's speech would have political content during the meeting at the White House on March 5.
Lent.az reports with reference to foreign media that the initial purpose of the visit was to congratulate the club on winning the Major League Soccer championship. However, the US President also touched upon the topic of military confrontation with Iran during his speech.
According to Mascherano, the team thought that the meeting would only be about football:
"We were told that this trip was just to congratulate us on the championship and that only football would be discussed. But everything turned out differently."
The coach added that the players behaved in accordance with the protocol agreed upon two months before the event. According to him, the team understands the difference between the time the trip was planned and the current global situation.
Inter Miami was invited to Washington after winning the 2025 MLS Championship. In the final game, the club defeated Vancouver Whitecaps FC 3:1.
During his speech to the players, Donald Trump also spoke about the results achieved by the United States in the military confrontation with Iran, noting that 24 Iranian ships were destroyed in three days.