The Herons' 2025 fixture starts on Saturday evening with a friendly against Club América at Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas.
For Inter Miami, there is a feeling that the 2025 MLS season is the best chance to win a championship with the superstar cast of Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez and co. leading the team.
The Herons traveled to the Supporters' Shield last year, but were bounced from the postseason in the first round, losing to an unlikable Atlanta United. After putting up incredible regular season numbers, the postseason slump was partially attributed to a lack of conditioning.
Both Messi and Suárez will be 38 by the time the MLS Cup play-offs begin in the fall and managing their fitness during a busy 2025 schedule will be crucial. That task falls to new head coach Javier Mascherano, who will want to carefully manage Messi's minutes during pre-season preparations.
Speaking to reporters ahead of the opener against Club América, Mascherano asked how much Messi will feature in pre-season. He replied: “We'll see. The goal is to get everyone ready for official competitions.”
Mascherano continued: “We have several games in preparation and we will see how many minutes he will play depending on how he feels, we don't want to take any risks. The general feeling is good and we are happy with how everyone came back from holiday, which allowed us to demand a lot from them from day one.”
What is Inter Miami's preseason schedule?
Last year, Inter Miami took them to El Salvador, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong and Japan in preseason. It was designed to make the most of Messi's incredible global appeal but ended in controversy when the Argentine was forced to sit out a match. Fans in Hong Kong had paid up to $600 per ticket to see him in person, but Messi was benched, forcing the organizing company to issue partial refunds to irate supporters.
This time around, Miami has set a more limited schedule, something their aging stars will certainly appreciate.
The Club América match kicks off the preseason schedule in front of a passionate crowd at Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas. The Mexican champions have already begun their domestic campaign and will be keen to impress in front of a sizeable 'away' contingent in the United States.
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