Soccer <\/p>\n
First, they got their GOAT<\/a>. Then, they won MLS Cup presented by Audi<\/a>, among other trophies. Now, Inter Miami FC<\/a> are hours away from making another dream come true.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \u201cIt\u2019s almost surreal,\u201d managing owner Jorge Mas told reporters ahead of welcoming Austin FC<\/a> for Saturday\u2019s inaugural match at Nu Stadium, their brand-new, 26,700-seat soccer-specific venue (7:30 pm ET |\u00a0Apple TV<\/a>).<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026 Saturday\u2019s going to be an amazing day.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n First session. First feel \ud83d\ude4c. These are some Nu firsts in Nu Stadium pic.twitter.com\/PT7UJ0PJbu<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) April 2, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n Nu Stadium, and the Miami Freedom Park<\/a> project it anchors, is the culmination of a dream years in the making<\/a> for the Mas brothers and fellow co-owner David Beckham. All three were key players from the beginning, with Beckham exercising the option to establish a new MLS club in South Florida in February 2014.\u00a0<\/p>\n Inter Miami CF were officially launched four years later, with the league\u2019s 25th club making their debut as an expansion side during the 2020 season.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Herons called Fort Lauderdale home for the next six years, building a global brand and reputation thanks to the transformational summer 2023 arrival of Lionel Messi<\/a> and a cohort of fellow superstars.\u00a0<\/p>\n Now, they\u2019re finally home in Miami proper. And they\u2019re ready to take the next step towards worldwide expansion in their new digs.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a stadium that was born out of a dream. Six years ago, we didn\u2019t have a club,\u201d said Mas. \u201cFor us it\u2019s important, and it was always a dream to build a special football stadium. It is a global sport; we\u2019re a global city.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI want this to be the home of football in the United States of America.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Inside @InterMiamiCF<\/a>‘s new stadium for the first time \ud83c\udfdf\ufe0f@InterMiamiCF<\/a> hosts @AustinFC<\/a> at Nu Stadium on Saturday (7:30pm ET on Apple TV): https:\/\/t.co\/4Xovyr7KBn<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/HcZmXSzmkS<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Major League Soccer (@MLS) April 2, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n Without question, Messi has been Inter Miami\u2019s biggest catalyst for success.<\/p>\n In his almost three years at the club, the eight-time Ballon d\u2019Or winner has led the Herons to MLS Cup, Supporters\u2019 Shield<\/a> and Leagues Cup<\/a> titles. That’s all while attracting fellow superstars Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba, Luis Su\u00e1rez<\/a> and Rodrigo De Paul<\/a>, among others.\u00a0<\/p>\n Su\u00e1rez and De Paul remain, but it\u2019s still Messi leading the charge and now chasing a third straight Landon Donovan MLS MVP award.<\/p>\n Inter Miami made that much clear in the lead-up to Nu Stadium\u2019s opening by announcing the Leo Messi Stand<\/a>, which will span parts of both the upper and lower bowls.<\/p>\n \u201cI was talking to Leo there about the stadium, the experience, how he felt seeing the Lionel Messi stand when he walks out of the tunnel,\u201d said Mas.<\/p>\n \u201cFor a living player, that\u2019s unheard of.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \ud83d\udde3\ufe0f Leo Messi: \u201cNu Stadium is truly impressive. It\u2019s going to be a beautiful day.\u201d pic.twitter.com\/sXeBbpe9V2<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) April 3, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n As successful as Inter Miami\u2019s journey has been so far, Mas hopes Nu Stadim can catapult the club to even greater heights on both the MLS and global stage.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a stadium of what can be\u2026 It\u2019s all a personification of the process,\u201d Mas said. \u201cWe open on April 4; that\u2019ll be an amazing day. The demand for tickets is just wild. We\u2019ll have a significant number of guests here. It\u2019s gonna be a fantastic day, and then we move on.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cAnd I\u2019m already envisioning what we\u2019re gonna do. Again, it\u2019s about filling our rafters with trophies. That\u2019s what it\u2019s about.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n This sentiment is shared at all levels of the club, especially for Academy-formed players who have witnessed Inter Miami\u2019s evolution from the early days.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI mean, 2019 was our first year in the Academy. That\u2019s when we really started imagining what the club could progress into,\u201d said homegrown forward\u00a0D\u00e1niel Pint\u00e9r<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cFirst, we got our facility, then we got our stadium in Fort Lauderdale. But we always imagined a home in Miami.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n For Mas, the ultimate dream is for Nu Stadium to leave a profound sporting, cultural and financial legacy in Miami for generations to come.<\/p>\n \u201cSpeaking for myself, my brother and David [Beckham], who played a role: this is a gift for my city.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \n \n
Crowning jewel<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
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Messi mania<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
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New era<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n