After an historic season in which they claimed the Supporters’ Shield for the first time, Inter Miami, led by Lionel Messi, are preparing for a 2025 season with high expectations. As Javier Mascherano takes the reins of the team, The Herons have confirmed another match for their preseason.
Miami will face Club America for the first time in their history. The Club is set to take on current two-time LIGA MX champion Club América on Saturday, Jan. 18 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. This will also be the first time that Miami will play in the city.
Club America are not only the club with most Mexican league titles with 15, they also are the team with the most titles in Concacaf Champions Cup, with seven. “We look forward to a competitive and exciting match, one that will benefit both clubs as we continue to grow and inspire our fans around the world,” Santiago Baños, sport president of Club America, said in a statement about their upcoming match.
Previously, Miami had also announced that they will play against Orlando City SC for their preseason. The match is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 14 at the 75,000-capacity Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.
Lionel Messi of Inter Miami greets fans ( IMAGO / Icon Sportswire)
According to journalist Gaston Edul, Messi and company will begin training on January 10 in Miami, with a three-week program focused on physical conditioning. The decision seems to be directly related to their captain’s complaints about their previous preseason, which he deemed as “not good.”
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Messi complained about the travelling of last preseason
During their last preseason, Miami traveled to five different countries: El Salvador, Saudi Arabia, China, Japan, and the United States. They played seven matches, only winning one, losing three and drawing three. Messi was not pleased with it.
“I have to start the year with a good preseason, which I didn’t have last year because we had a lot of traveling, moving from one place to another. It was what the club needed at that time, but it wasn’t a good preseason,” the star told the press after Argentina’s 6-0 win over Bolivia back in October.
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During the 2025 season, Miami will have a demanding year, in which they not only compete in the MLS regular season, as they are also set to participate in the Concacaf Champions Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup.
On the orther hand, Mascherano will coach the team after Tata Martino’s exit from the club, due to personal reasons. The Argentine not only will reunited with Messi, as he will also coached his former Barcelona teammates Luis Suarez, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets.
