Tickets for Inter Miami at Los Angeles FC season-opener Sunday are in high demand
Nobody on the Inter Miami roster knows better than Lee Nguyen the enormity of the challenge the expansion team faces Sunday at 5:30 p.m., playing its inaugural match on the road against Los Angeles FC.
Not only is Bank of California stadium one of the loudest and most intimidating venues in Major League Soccer, but LAFC last season won the Supporters’ Shield for the league’s best record, and set MLS records for most points and biggest goal differential.
Los Angeles winger Carlos Vela of the Mexican national team last season won the Golden Boot with a record 34 goals in 34 games and he is a favorite to compete for that honor again.
Oh, yes, Inter Miami’s historic debut will be televised on ESPN. Talk about baptism by fire.
There is so much hype around the L.A.-Miami game that tickets are re-selling for an average price of $149, making it the most in-demand MLS season opener since SeatGeek started tracking the secondary market in 2010. The second-hottest MLS opening game ticket this weekend is Atlanta United at Nashville SC, which is going for $84.
Nguyen, the 33-year-old midfielder, spent the past two seasons with LAFC before joining Miami in the expansion draft. He has been fielding questions from teammates who are new to the league about what to expect.
“A lot of guys have seen LAFC last season, the records they broke, and they’re pretty much the same team if not stronger this year, so it’s going to be a tough task this weekend,” Nguyen said. “But the coach is preparing us, and we’re getting ready. This will give us a good measurement of where we want to be.”
Emotional return for Lee Nguyen
Nguyen said it will be emotional for him to line up against his former teammates and fans.
“I was there for two seasons and built a great relationship with my teammates, the staff, front office, the fans,” he said. “It was a big part of my career. I enjoyed my time there, so it will be great to see everyone.”
LAFC is playing the second leg of the CONCACAF Champions League Round of 16 on Thursday night against Mexican team Leon (L.A. lost the first leg 2-0), so L.A. will have played in two full games before Sunday’s opener against Inter Miami. Inter Miami coaches and players will be watching Thursday’s game closely.
“Obviously, that’s a benefit to them to have a few official games under their belt, but it also gives us a chance to know what to expect,” Nguyen said. “We have a great mixture of vets and young guys and some of the young guys have played in big games before. We’re super excited to get the season started. This was a long preseason for us.”
Nguyen, who is of Vietnamese heritage and has played professionally in Vietnam, dismissed a rumor that he is in discussions to leave Inter Miami for Ho Chi Minh City FC. He said he has had no contact with the club, and that his agent has not mentioned it to him, either. An Inter Miami source confirmed Nguyen is staying put.
This story was originally published February 26, 2020 at 2:13 PM.