Inside Inter Miami: Takeaways from global tour, preview preseason finale, Redondo news
Lionel Messi and his Inter Miami teammates finally returned home after traveling 24,000 miles to play preseason games in Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong and Tokyo.
The tour did not go as planned, as irate Hong Kong fans demanded and received partial refunds after not getting to see Messi play. The Chinese government followed by canceling Argentina national team games against Nigeria and Ivory Coast that were scheduled to be played in China in March.
The good news for Inter Miami is that Messi and Luis Suarez were healthy enough to play the game in Tokyo, the team looked better than it had in previous games, and some little-used players got a chance to prove themselves. One bit of bad news was an ankle injury to Sergio Busquets.
Coach Tata Martino has one more week to get his team ready for the MLS season opener Feb. 21 against Real Salt Lake. The final preseason game is Thursday at home against Argentine club Newell’s Old Boys, the hometown team of Messi and Martino. Another Argentine, 21-year-old defensive midfielder Federico Redondo, is expected to join the team after Inter Miami reportedly agreed to pay Argentinos Juniors an $8 million transfer fee.
Inside Inter Miami’s host Michelle Kaufman and guest Simon Evans, a U.S. Sports Correspondent for Agence France-Presse, dive into the pros and cons of the tour, the perception of the team and MLS around the world, and the early-season team outlook.
Remember, you can watch this show on YouTube and on our site at miamiherald.com. The podcast is available on Spotify, Apple podcasts, iTunes and most other platforms where you listen to your pods. Thank you for watching and listening, and enjoy!
This story was originally published February 14, 2024 at 4:00 AM.