Inter Miami, led by coach Gerardo Martino, is gearing up for an extensive pre-season tour covering nearly 25,000 miles and featuring seven friendlies across five countries.
Lionel Messi, alongside former Barcelona teammates Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba, and Luis Suarez, has added considerable star power to the team, turning these matches into significant revenue generators for the club.
However, concerns have surfaced about the potential strain on the team due to the demanding schedule before the official season kick-off on February 21. Martino acknowledges the delicate balance between the business and sports aspects, emphasizing the need to manage player participation carefully.
Despite the constant pressure to showcase Messi, Miami’s past season serves as a cautionary tale. Despite a triumphant mid-season Leagues Cup win, injuries to Messi and Alba led to a quick burnout, preventing the team from making a late playoff push. Balancing commercial and football activities becomes crucial, as articulated by Busquets, who underscores the importance of achieving equilibrium for the club’s growth.
The team faces its first test on January 19 against the El Salvador national team in San Salvador, just seven days after returning to training. Subsequent matches include a clash with FC Dallas in Texas, encounters in Saudi Arabia against Al Hilal and Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr, and an All-Star team face-off in Hong Kong on February 4. The pre-season tour concludes with a friendly against J-League club Vissel Kobe in Tokyo and their only home game on February 15 against Messi’s boyhood club, Newell’s Old Boys.
Martino remains confident in the team’s ability to handle the demanding schedule, emphasizing the need for physical fitness to navigate time changes and long trips effectively. The coach acknowledges the dual nature of managing both the sporting side and the club’s growth, a sentiment echoed by Busquets, highlighting the preparations required for facing top-tier teams.
As Inter Miami embarks on this globe-trotting pre-season journey, the delicate balancing act between commercial pursuits and on-field success remains at the forefront of their strategy, with the hopes that this unique experience will contribute to their competitiveness and growth in the upcoming season.
