MLS announces date, opponent for Inter Miami home opener. Here are details, ticket info
More than six years after David Beckham arrived in Miami promising a Major League Soccer club, he will get to see his Inter Miami team play its inaugural home game on Mar. 14, 2020 against his former team, the Los Angeles Galaxy.
The game is scheduled to kick off at 2:30 p.m. at the team’s new Fort Lauderdale stadium, a 19,000-seat facility being built on the site of the former Lockhart Stadium, where South Florida’s last MLS team – the Miami Fusion – played from 1998-2001. Inter Miami plans to play its first two seasons in Fort Lauderdale while its proposed Miami Freedom Park stadium is being constructed.
MLS has not released the full 2020 season schedule, but it is expected to start the final week of February, which means Inter Miami would play its first game or two on the road. Teams play 17 home games and 17 road games during the regular season.
“Futbol is not a sport, it’s a lifestyle. What we are bringing to South Florida on March 14 is a club that unites fans and visitors from all over the world together for the love of the game,” said Jurgen Mainka, the chief business officer for Inter Miami. “This is a historic day that our community has waited for, and we look forward to experiencing it together.”
Fans can register for pre-sale access to the home opening match at intermiamicf.com/tickets/home-debut.
The Galaxy reached the Western Conference Semifinals this season before losing to cross-town rival Los Angeles FC. The franchise is one of the most successful in league history with a record five MLS Cup titles and four runner-up finishes.
Beckham signed with L.A. in 2007 and played with them through 2012. Other well-known players who have worn the Galaxy jersey include Landon Donovan, Jorge Campos, Robbie Keane, Luis Hernandez, Giovani dos Santos, Steven Gerrard, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the 38-year-old Swede who starred last season.
Ibrahimovic was offered a contract extension by the Galaxy, but he has also been linked with a move to AC Milan and Manchester United.
Inter Miami added two players to its roster through MLS trades over the past two days – midfielder Victor Ulloa from FC Cincinnati and goalkeeper Drake Callender from the San Jose Earthquakes. They have signed seven players total, and could add another before the MLS trade window closes Wednesday night. They can select up to five players in the MLS Expansion Draft Nov. 19.
The addition of two high-profile “Designated Players” is expected closer to the European winter transfer window, which runs from Jan. 1 to Jan. 31, 2020. MLS training camp opens in mid-January.
The head coaching search has been extended, likely because a few leading candidates are still employed. One name that has come up in Argentine media is River Plate coach Marcelo Gallardo, whose team plays Flamengo in the Copa Libertadores final on Nov. 23. Meanwhile, city commission discussions on lease negotiations on the proposed Miami Freedom Park permanent stadium site will continue until December.
For season ticket information, go to intermiamicf.com/tickets or call 305-428-0611.
This story was originally published November 13, 2019 at 9:30 AM.