Inter Miami CF facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Inter Miami

Full name	Club Internacional de Fútbol Miami
Nickname(s)	The Herons Vice City
Short name	Inter Miami
Founded	January 29, 2018; 7 years ago (2018-01-29)
Stadium	Chase Stadium Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Stadium capacity	21,550
Owners	David Beckham Jorge Mas Jose Mas
President	David Beckham
Head coach	Javier Mascherano
League	Major League Soccer
2024	Eastern Conference: 1st Overall: 1st Playoffs: First round
Home colors Away colors Third colors

Club Internacional de Fútbol Miami, often called Inter Miami CF or just Inter Miami, is a professional soccer team from the Miami metropolitan area in the United States. They play in Major League Soccer (MLS) as part of the Eastern Conference. Inter Miami plays their home games at Chase Stadium. They plan to move to a new stadium called Miami Freedom Park in 2026.

The MLS officially approved a new team in Miami on January 29, 2018. This team was started by famous soccer player David Beckham. In 2023, the club became even more famous when Lionel Messi joined them. Since they started playing in the 2020 season, Inter Miami has signed other well-known players like Blaise Matuidi, Gonzalo Higuaín, Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba, and Luis Suárez.

After Messi joined, the team won their first big trophy, the 2023 Leagues Cup, in 2023. This win also allowed them to play in the 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup for the first time. In the 2024 season, Inter Miami won their first Supporters' Shield. This award goes to the team with the best record in the league. Forbes magazine said the team is worth about $1.03 billion as of 2024. This makes them the second most valuable team in the league.

Team History

How the Team Started

In 2012, the MLS commissioner, Don Garber, said the league wanted to bring a soccer team back to Miami. A previous team, the Miami Fusion, had stopped playing in 2001.

David Beckham, a famous soccer player, had a special deal when he joined the MLS in 2007. This deal gave him the chance to buy a new team for a lower price after he stopped playing. When Beckham retired in 2013, he started talking about buying a team in Miami.

On February 5, 2014, the MLS announced that Beckham's group, Miami Beckham United, would own a new team in Miami. This was if they could agree on a plan for a stadium. After some challenges with stadium plans, Beckham teamed up with brothers Jorge Mas and Jose Mas.

Finally, on January 29, 2018, the Miami Beckham United group was officially given the 25th MLS team. The team was set to start playing in the 2020 season. They announced the team's official name, Club Internacional de Fútbol Miami, or Inter Miami CF, on September 5, 2018.

To prepare for their first season, Inter Miami chose Diego Alonso as their first head coach on December 30, 2019. They also signed players like Rodolfo Pizarro.

First Few Years (2020–2023)

Argentine striker Gonzalo Higuaín joined Miami in September 2020.

Inter Miami played their first MLS game on March 1, 2020. They lost 1–0 to Los Angeles FC. Rodolfo Pizarro scored the team's first goal on March 7. Their first home game was delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. On August 23, 2020, Inter Miami won their first game, beating Orlando City SC 3–2.

In January 2021, Phil Neville became the new head coach. The team also signed famous players like Gonzalo Higuaín. Higuaín scored his first goal for Miami on October 7, 2020. He even scored three goals in one game in July 2022. Higuaín retired at the end of the 2022 season.

In 2021, the Mas brothers took over most of the team's ownership. The MLS also announced that Inter Miami had broken some rules about player salaries in 2020. The club was fined $2 million. They had to adjust their player roster to follow the rules.

Other players who joined during these years include Leonardo Campana and Josef Martínez. DeAndre Yedlin also joined in 2022. He was seen as a very important signing because of his experience.

The Lionel Messi Era (2023–Present)

Argentine forward Lionel Messi joined Miami in July 2023.

In June 2023, Inter Miami announced that coach Phil Neville was leaving. A few days later, Lionel Messi, one of the world's most famous soccer players, announced he would join Inter Miami. He signed his contract on July 15, 2023. Former Barcelona coach Gerardo Martino became the new head coach.

Messi officially joined the team on July 16, along with his former Barcelona teammate Sergio Busquets. Five days later, another former Barcelona player, Jordi Alba, also signed with Inter Miami. Messi's arrival caused a huge stir. Inter Miami became the top-selling team for sports gear, and ticket prices for their games went way up.

Messi and Busquets played their first game on July 21, 2023. Messi scored the winning goal with a free-kick in the last moments of the game. This ended Miami's 11-game streak without a win. On August 19, Inter Miami won their first major trophy, the 2023 Leagues Cup, by winning a penalty shootout. This win also qualified them for the 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup.

In August 2023, Inter Miami also reached the final of the 2023 U.S. Open Cup. However, they lost to the Houston Dynamo FC because Messi was unable to play.

Messi, Busquets, and Alba played their first MLS game on August 26, 2023, winning 2–0. Messi scored a goal in that game. On October 7, 2023, Inter Miami lost to FC Cincinnati, which meant they could not make the MLS playoffs that year.

On October 30, 2023, Messi won his eighth Ballon d'Or award while playing for Inter Miami. This made Inter Miami the only MLS team to have a player win this award while on their team.

In December 2023, another former Barcelona star, Luis Suárez, officially joined Inter Miami for the 2024 season.

In 2024, Inter Miami played several friendly matches. There was some controversy during a match in Hong Kong when Messi couldn't play due to an injury. Fans were very upset. Messi did play in a game in Tokyo two days later.

On October 3, 2024, Inter Miami won their first Supporters' Shield. They finished the season with a league-record 74 points, which also secured them a spot in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. However, on November 10, 2024, Inter Miami was knocked out of the MLS Cup playoffs in the first round.

Team Colors and Badge

Inter Miami CF announced their team name and colors on September 5, 2018. The team's badge (logo) is designed with colors and a style that reminds people of Miami's Art Deco buildings. The logo shows two white heron birds with their legs linked together to form the letter "M". Between the birds, there is a sun with seven rays. This is a tribute to the number David Beckham often wore when he played.

The full logo also has the team's name around it. The Roman numerals "MMXX" mean 2020, which was the team's first season. The three-pointed shield in the logo represents the three main areas of South Florida: Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach. The team's main colors are pink, white, and black. They also use a bit of blue.

There was a legal disagreement with the Italian club Inter Milan about the use of the word "Inter" in the team's name. However, the two clubs reached an agreement in 2021, allowing Inter Miami to keep its name.

Uniform History

Home

2020–2021

2022–2023

2024–

Away

2020

2021–2022

2023–

Third kit

2024–

Team Sponsors

Inter Miami has many partners and sponsors. These include AutoNation, Tudor, Lowe's, Visa, Heineken, Duracell, and XBTO. These companies help support the club.

Stadiums

Chase Stadium

Chase Stadium entrance

New seats were added for the stadium.

Chase Stadium is a soccer stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. It used to be called DRV PNK Stadium. The stadium is the main place for the team and its youth academy to train. It cost about $60 million to build and renovate.

After Lionel Messi joined, the stadium added 3,000 to 3,200 more seats to fit more fans. These new seats came from the Miami International Autodrome. On February 20, 2024, the stadium was renamed Chase Stadium.

The land where Chase Stadium is now used to be the site of Lockhart Stadium. In 2019, Inter Miami decided to build their training ground and a new stadium there. The city of Fort Lauderdale approved a 50-year lease for the site. The stadium was first named DRV PNK Stadium in 2021. In January 2024, more seats were added, bringing the total capacity to 21,550.

Miami Freedom Park

The site of the former Melreese Country Club is the future location of Miami Freedom Park.

Inter Miami started playing in Fort Lauderdale in March 2020. They will continue to play there until their new stadium, called Miami Freedom Park, is finished. This new project will include a 25,000-seat stadium. It will be part of a larger complex with offices, shops, and a hotel. This complex will be built on the former Melreese Country Club golf course, near the Miami International Airport.

The plan for the stadium was approved by voters in November 2018. About 60 percent of voters agreed to turn the city-owned golf course into the new stadium. The whole project is expected to cost over $1 billion. In August 2019, it was found that the land at the golf course had some soil contamination.

Despite these challenges, the project moved forward. The Miami City Council approved a 99-year lease for the site in April 2022. The stadium is expected to open in the 2025 MLS season. Construction began in August 2023.

Training Complex

The club's training facility is located north of Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale. It covers about 30 acres. It has a park, youth soccer fields, and a community center. There are seven training fields for all of Inter Miami's teams, from the youth academy to the main senior team. The training center is named the Florida Blue Training Center.

Transportation

The future Miami Freedom Park stadium is close to Miami International Airport. It is also near the Miami Intermodal Center, which has train and bus connections.

Chase Stadium is located near Interstate 95 in Fort Lauderdale. There are parking lots for fans. Inter Miami also works with Brightline to offer special train services for fans from Miami and West Palm Beach to the Fort Lauderdale station. Shuttles then take fans to the stadium.

Team Ownership

The group that owns Inter Miami CF was first formed in 2013 as Miami Beckham United. Now, it is called Miami Freedom Park LLC. The original group was led by Marcelo Claure. Later, Masayoshi Son and brothers Jorge Mas and Jose Mas joined. The idea for the team came from a deal David Beckham made with the MLS in 2007. This deal gave him the chance to own a new team at a lower price.

On September 17, 2021, Beckham and the Mas brothers bought out Claure and Son's shares in the ownership group. Ares Management also joined the ownership group.

Supporters

Inter Miami has four official fan groups: The Siege, Southern Legion, Vice City 1896, and Nación Rosa Y Negro.

Rivalries

Inter Miami has a rivalry with Orlando City SC. This is because Orlando City is the closest other MLS team in Florida. Their games are called the "Florida Derby."

The club also has a rivalry with USL Championship team Miami FC. This local rivalry is known as the "Miami Clásico."

Team Honors

Players and Staff

Squad

No. Position Player 1 GK Drake Callender 5 MF Sergio Busquets (DP) 6 DF Tomás Avilés 7 MF Matías Rojas 8 FW Leonardo Campana (DP) 9 FW Luis Suárez 10 FW Lionel Messi (captain; DP) 11 MF Facundo Farías 13 GK CJ dos Santos 14 DF David Martínez (on loan from River Plate) 15 DF Ryan Sailor 16 FW Robert Taylor 17 DF Ian Fray (HG) 18 DF Jordi Alba 19 GK Oscar Ustari 20 MF Diego Gómez 21 DF Nicolás Freire (on loan from UNAM)

No. Position Player 24 MF Julian Gressel 26 DF Tyler Hall (HG) 27 DF Serhiy Kryvtsov 30 MF Benjamin Cremaschi (HG) 32 DF Noah Allen (HG) 33 DF Franco Negri 35 FW Felipe Valencia (HG) 41 MF David Ruiz (HG) 42 DF Yannick Bright 43 MF Lawson Sunderland 55 MF Federico Redondo 57 DF Marcelo Weigandt (on loan from Boca Juniors) 62 DF Israel Boatwright (HG) 73 FW Leo Afonso 81 MF Santiago Morales (HG) 99 GK Cole Jensen

Out on Loan

No. Position Player 25 FW Emerson Rodríguez (on loan to Vasco da Gama)

Technical Staff

As of February 25, 2024

Name	Position	Nationality
Javier Mascherano	Head coach	Argentina
Jorge Theiler	Assistant coach	Argentina
Javier Morales	Assistant coach	Argentina
Sebastián Saja	Goalkeeping coach	Argentina
Rodolfo Paladini	Head fitness coach	Argentina
Manuel Alfaro	Assistant fitness coach	Argentina
Damian Silvero	Video analyst	Argentina
Garrison Draper	Performance director	United States
Chris Henderson	Sporting director	United States
Niki Budalić	Director of soccer operations	Canada
Sam Gregory	Chief analyst	Canada
Xavier Asensi	Chief business officer	Spain
Raul Sanllehi	President of football operations	Spain
Kieran Gibbs	Media director	England

Head Coaches

As of September 21, 2024

Name	Nationality	Tenure	G	W	D	L	Win %
Diego Alonso	Uruguay		&&&&&&&&&&&&&024.&&&&&024	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&07.&&&&&07	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&03.&&&&&03	&&&&&&&&&&&&&014.&&&&&014	&&&&&&&&&&&&&029.17000029.17
Phil Neville	England		&&&&&&&&&&&&&090.&&&&&090	&&&&&&&&&&&&&035.&&&&&035	&&&&&&&&&&&&&013.&&&&&013	&&&&&&&&&&&&&042.&&&&&042	&&&&&&&&&&&&&038.89000038.89
Javier Morales (interim)	Argentina		&&&&&&&&&&&&&&07.&&&&&07	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&03.&&&&&03	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&03.&&&&&03	&&&&&&&&&&&&&014.29000014.29
Gerardo Martino	Argentina		&&&&&&&&&&&&&065.&&&&&065	&&&&&&&&&&&&&035.&&&&&035	&&&&&&&&&&&&&016.&&&&&016	&&&&&&&&&&&&&014.&&&&&014	&&&&&&&&&&&&&053.85000053.85

Club DP History

Player	Previous club	Years as DP
Matías Pellegrini	Estudiantes	2020
Rodolfo Pizarro	Monterrey	2020–2023
Gonzalo Higuaín	Juventus	2020–2022
Blaise Matuidi	Juventus	2021
Gregore	Bahia	2021–2023
Alejandro Pozuelo	Toronto FC	2022
Leonardo Campana	Wolverhampton Wanderers	2023–
Lionel Messi	Paris Saint-Germain	2023–
Sergio Busquets	Barcelona	2023–

Team Records