Inter Miami to face Orlando City in fan-free stadium
Finally, after a five-month delay, Inter Miami will resume its inaugural season Saturday night and make its home debut at the club’s newly constructed 18,000seat Fort Lauderdale stadium.
But because of COVID-19 and the league’s decision to limit travel, the opponent will be Orlando City, not the Los Angeles Galaxy, as originally planned.
There will be no fans in the pink, black and gray stadium seats. The closest thing to fans will be 30inch-high personalized cardboard fan cutouts being offered for $50, which will be placed in the North
Stand for all Inter Miami closed-door home games. Proceeds from the cutouts go to the Inter Miami Foundation
As eager as Inter Miami players are to get back on the field, it will be bittersweet, said captain and goalkeeper Luis Robles.
“It is our home opener, but it’s never really going to feel like that debut at our home stadium until it’s full of fans,” Robles said on a conference call Tuesday. “If you can remember way back to March 14, which feels like years ago, we were about to play LA Galaxy, and there was so much anticipation, not just in our organization, but all of
South Florida for the home opener.
“It’s going to be great for us to be back on the field and start the third part of our season, which is just mind-blowing. But when we look at our home opener, it’s not the home opener we envisioned. That day didn’t come to fruition.
“We’ll miss all the fans, even you guys [the media].
Until you’re there and it’s rocking full of fans who have waited a long time, it’s not truly going to be the home opener.”
Nonetheless, Robles said, it is a chance to earn a historic first victory for the team after an 0-5 start. The team lost its first two games on the road to Los Angeles FC and D.C. United in early March, and three more at the MLS is Back Tournament in Orlando last month. Each of the five losses were by a single goal.
The team has spent the past three weeks working out the kinks, tightening up holes on the defensive side, and bolstering its roster. Argentine center back Leandro Gonzalez Pirez (“LGP”), the former Atlanta United star, will make his debut on Saturday and is expected to have an immediate impact.
Last week, Inter Miami signed French World Cup winner Blaise Matuidi, a 33-year-old midfielder who left Italian league champion Juventus for a chance to reunite with Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham. The two were teammates in France in 2013 with Paris Saint Germain.
Matuidi will not be available for the game on Saturday, and probably won’t be ready for the Aug. 26 game against Atlanta United, either, as he is finalizing his visa and must then comply with MLS- mandated COVID-19 quarantine and testing.
The team is eagerly awaiting his arrival and also expects an experienced forward to be signed soon for the final designated player spot.
“We’re very excited to resume the season and see it as a great opportunity to keep fighting for our dreams,” said coach Diego Alonso. “We are a few short steps away from where we want to be. Leandro makes our defense better, is very good with the ball at his feet on the attack, and with Matuidi, we hope in a short time to integrate him.”
To order a fan cutout, go to https://intermiamicf-fancutouts.aaaflag.com/