Five matches and over 6,000 miles: All the details of Lionel Messi's Inter Miami preseason
Inter Miami CF will kick off their 2025 pre-season campaign at the Florida Blue Training Center next Monday, following mandatory medical checkups. Under new manager Javier Mascherano, the team faces a demanding schedule encompassing the FIFA Club World Cup, Major League Soccer (MLS), Leagues Cup, and CONCACAF Champions League (CCL). Their pre-season tour reflects the club’s ambitious plans and the challenges that lie ahead.
Inter Miami has planned an extensive pre-season tour, spanning 26 days and over 6,000 miles. The tour, including matches in Las Vegas, Peru, Panama, and Honduras, culminates back in Florida.
The demanding itinerary aims to prepare the team for the rigors of competing across multiple competitions. This rigorous schedule reflects the club’s ambition and the importance of being fully prepared for the busy year ahead.
Pre-season match schedule
The pre-season schedule includes:
- Sunday, January 19th: Vs. Club América (Mexico) at Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, USA
- Wednesday, January 29th: Vs. Universitario de Deportes (Peru) at Estadio Monumental, Lima, Peru
- Sunday, February 2nd: Vs. Sporting San Miguelito (Panama) at Estadio Rommel Fernández Gutiérrez, Panama City, Panama
- Saturday, February 8th: Vs. Club Deportivo Olimpia (Honduras) at Estadio Olímpico Metropolitano, San Pedro Sula, Honduras
- Friday, February 14th: Vs. Orlando City SC (USA) at Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, USA
These matches offer a diverse range of opponents, allowing Inter Miami to test their capabilities against different styles of play and prepare for the variety of challenges ahead.
Mascherano highlights need for reinforcements
Given the recent departures of players like Matías Rojas and Diego Gómez, manager Javier Mascherano has highlighted the need for reinforcements. “We are very short-staffed today. Six players have left. For the first game, we’re going to need not only 11 but many more. That’s what worries and occupies me most today,” Mascherano stated, acknowledging the squad’s reduced size and the need to bolster the roster for the many competitions coming up.
This underscores the importance of recruitment and the challenges involved in preparing for a season with such a demanding schedule.
Raúl Sanllehí, Inter Miami’s President of Soccer Operations, emphasized the significance of this pre-season tour, highlighting the diversity of opponents and the value of this extensive preparation.
“We are very excited to present these five matches against national and international teams from America, which will prepare us for a highly anticipated 2025,” he said.
“These matches will put us in the best possible position for an unprecedented campaign with various competitions we will be competing in this year: the FIFA Club World Cup, the CONCACAF Champions League, the Leagues Cup, and MLS.” This highlights the value of the tour in preparing for the numerous significant competitions Inter Miami will participate in throughout the year.