MLS
Messi expects ‘great things’ at Inter Miami after glitzy unveiling
Not even the pouring rain could spoil Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami welcome party on Sunday in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where the new face of Major League Soccer (MLS) was introduced to a packed stadium of adoring fans.
Messi, seven months removed from leading Argentina to World Cup glory in Qatar, was presented to fans during a glitzy event called ‘The Unveil’ at Miami’s home stadium.
After being introduced, the seven-times Ballon d’Or winner walked toward midfield along a spotlight-lined catwalk wearing a T-shirt and jeans and was presented with his No. 10 shirt before addressing the crowd with a few brief remarks in Spanish.
“I am very happy to have chosen to come to this city with my family, to have chosen this project and I have no doubt that we are going to enjoy it very much,” said Messi.
“We are going to have a good time and great things are going to happen. Thank you very much, thank you all for this day.
“I can’t wait to start training to compete. I feel the same desire I’ve always had to compete, to really want to win and to help it (Miami) continue to grow.”
After his remarks, a video compilation of well wishes was played on the stadium’s big screen and included messages from the likes of former NFL quarterback Tom Brady and NBA player Stephen Curry.
Messi, 36, was then joined on the field by his wife and three children where they posed for photos before more fireworks lit up the night sky.
The event was being held a day after Inter Miami announced that Messi signed a contract that will keep him with the club through 2025. Messi will be available to make his debut on Friday in a Leagues Cup fixture against Mexico’s Cruz Azul.
‘THE NEXT CHAPTER’
Messi’s arrival is a huge boost for the profile of soccer in the United States, which will co-host the 2026 World Cup with Mexico and Canada.
He joins a Miami side co-owned by another global soccer great in David Beckham.
“Like all of you, I cannot wait to see Leo take the field in our colours,” Beckham told the crowd moments before Messi was introduced.
“Ladies and gentlemen, the next chapter of our story starts here.”
Messi has his work cut out to make the next chapter a successful one.
Miami are winless in 11 MLS matches and sit dead last in the Eastern Conference with 18 points after 22 games.
Messi’s next destination after leaving Paris St Germain had been the subject of much speculation.
A source close to Messi had told Reuters he received a formal offer to join Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal in a deal reportedly worth around $400 million a year.
PSG suspended him for making a trip to Saudi Arabia and missing a training session as a result, and the visit fuelled speculation that he would be joining Cristiano Ronaldo in the desert kingdom.
Portugal captain Ronaldo joined Al Nassr last December on a lucrative 2-1/2 year contract.
Messi had also been linked with a return to Barcelona, the Spanish club he helped claim 10 league titles, four Champions League crowns and three Club World Cups.
But in early June Messi announced his decision to join Inter Miami in an interview with Mundo Deportivo and Sport newspaper even though a contract had not yet been signed.
-Reuters
Inter Miami will be the last club Luis Suarez plays for, the Uruguay striker said on Thursday.
Suarez, 37, signed a contract with the Major League Soccer side last year for the 2024 season after a stint with Brazilian club Gremio.
He reunited with former Barcelona team mates Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, with whom he won four LaLiga titles in five years in Spain.
“Inter Miami will be my last club, my family already know that. I don’t have a date yet, but it’s the last step,” Suarez said in an interview with Uruguayan radio station Del Sol.
“I’m ready for this last challenge, but there is an inevitable fatigue and, in the end, I want to have quality of life in the future,” he added.
Suarez, who also played for clubs including Ajax Amsterdam, Liverpool and Atletico Madrid, has won 138 caps for Uruguay since 2007.
Inter Miami kick off their MLS campaign against Real Salt Lake on Feb. 21.
-Reuters
The Houston Dynamo defeated Inter Miami 2-1 to win the U.S. Open Cup on Wednesday with an injured Lionel Messi watching from the stands at DRV PNK Stadium.
Without Messi and his former Barcelona team-mate Jordi Alba, Miami struggled to compete with an enterprising Houston and went in 2-0 down at the break.
Houston grabbed the lead in the 24th minute with a perfect counter-attack ending with Brazilian Artur feeding the overlapping Griffin Dorsey who blasted in at the near post.
French forward Amine Bassi doubled the lead from the penalty spot nine minutes later after DeAndre Yedlin had brought down Nelson Quinones.
Houston thought that they had scored a third after the break but Quinones’ effort was ruled out for offside after a VAR review.
Substitute Josef Martinez gave Miami some late hope with a left-foot strike in stoppage time after latching on to a ball from Argentine Facundo Farias.
But despite some late pressure, it was too little, too late from Miami and Houston deservedly won their second U.S. Open Cup to add to their triumph in 2018.
Miami had won the Leagues Cup last month with Messi prominently involved but they must now battle to make the Major League Soccer play-offs with uncertainty over their Argentine star’s fitness.
-AFP
Inter Miami will wait until the “last moment” to see if Lionel Messi is fit to play in Wednesday’s U.S. Open Cup final against Houston Dynamo, coach Gerardo Martino said.
Messi was substituted in Inter’s league match against Toronto FC before halftime with an unspecified injury, and missed Sunday’s clash against rivals Orlando City.
The Argentina captain is a doubt for the U.S. Open Cup final when his team will aim to claim their second title after winning the Leagues Cup last month.
“We are going to wait for Leo until tomorrow, until the last moment,” Martino told a news conference on Tuesday. “I’m going to sit down with him, see what his feelings are (…) We’ll probably come to an agreement tomorrow.
“There are three issues here: there is the player, then the final, and then what comes next. We have to try to make the decision, there are always risks, but we have to reduce them.”
The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner has scored 11 goals and provided five assists in 12 games for Inter Miami since his arrival from Paris St Germain in July.
The Miami side are yet to lose with Messi on the pitch and Martino said he would not consider playing the 36-year-old if it were not a cup final.
“It’s 90 or 120 minutes that stand between you and a title,” said the Argentine boss. “It’s logical. If it was any other kind of game we wouldn’t take any risks.”
-Reuters
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