Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham’s vision for the club will “become reality” Saturday when the team plays its inaugural game in the newly constructed Nu Stadium, according to Michelle Kaufman of the MIAMI HERALD. Beckham arrived and brought MLS to Miami 12 years ago, and there has since been an “odyssey rife with political battles and repeated roadblocks” that included six years playing in a temporary stadium in Fort Lauderdale. It is not “exactly the home Beckham originally envisioned.” Previous plans for a waterfront stadium at Port Miami, another bid next to what is now Kaseya Center and a third plan next to Marlins Park did not work. It was not until Beckham partnered with Miami brothers Jorge and Jose Mas, principals of construction and infrastructure firm MasTec, that a “viable stadium plan began to take shape.” Fans will likely see “cranes, bulldozers and dust on opening day, as the area will remain a construction zone for years,” while the rest of the $1B, 131-acre project is completed. Inter Miami officials have assured fans that the centerpiece of the project, Nu Stadium, “will be game-ready on Saturday.” Inter Miami President of Business Operations Xavier Asensi said that while the club “has enjoyed playing in Fort Lauderdale over the past six years, having a permanent home in the heart of Miami will vault the club to new heights” (MIAMI HERALD, 3/29).
PLENTY OF SHOPPING: Kaufman in a separate piece wrote fans entering the stadium will be “welcomed by large photos depicting the 2025 MLS Cup title run.” Inter Miami F Lionel Messi’s presence is “all over the stadium,” from his No. 10 jersey and Funko Pop! collectible for sale at the team store to the designated “Leo Messi Stand” seating sections to Club de la Milanesa, one of the food concession stands co-owned by Messi and “featuring his favorite dish, the Milanesa.” The stadium food options “reflect Miami’s diverse cultures.” Fans who like to shop will have “plenty of items to peruse” at the 11,000 square-foot team store, including “more than 40 footwear options” in the Adidas World section of the shop, a New Era hat wall with “more than 140 hats” and the Funko Experience. There will also be “limited edition opening day merchandise commemorating the first game at Nu Stadium.” Season-ticket members who showed up on Thursday, including many from the team’s rabid supporter groups, were “excited by what they saw and looked forward to making noise and banging drums on Saturday” (MIAMI HERALD, 4/2).
FINAL PREPERATIONS: USA TODAY’s Safid Deen wrote the seats are “alternated in pink, gray and white with black seats used to spell out Inter Miami and to shape two herons,” the team’s mascot. However, there are “still some seats to be installed and numbered before the match” (USA TODAY, 4/2). SOCCER AMERICA’s Paul Kennedy writes Messi and his Inter Miami teammates “trained for the first time” at the $350M stadium on Thursday (SOCCER AMERICA, 4/3).
