Messi’s Inter Miami closed on a new reinforcement and is heading to be the most powerful team in the MLS

Confirmed the arrival of Luis Suarez al Inter Miamiwhich adds up to Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets y Jordi Alba to try to repeat part of the glory they built together in Barcelona, ​​now the team of the Tata Martino confirms the arrival of a new star reinforcement.

This is a German nationalized American. Julian Gressel, who arrives after a very good season in which He was a Major League Soccer (MLS) champion with the Columbus Crew, and now he will fulfill his dream of playing alongside one of the best footballers in history.

“I am delighted to join a club as ambitious as Inter Miami for this new chapter of my career,” the 30-year-old midfielder said in a statement.

“I am ready to work and take advantage of my experience in this league to help my new teammates and this great club achieve their dream of winning more titles,” he added, and then sign a contract until the end of the 2026 season with an option one more year.

Martino knows him very well, since Gressel was part of the team that in 2018 gave the only MLS title to the Atlanta United and that the Argentine coach directed. In addition, together they lifted the 2019 US Open Cup. Now, they cross paths again.

Then the German was in the DC United between 2020 and 2022, he spent later in his career for the Vancouver Whitecaps (2022-2023) before reaching the Columbus Crew (2023). And now it comes to Inter Miami to remain linked to the American league. There he will try to earn a place and help Lionel Messi continue winning titles and more titles.

Messi’s goal is to be MLS champion after his frustrated closing of the year in 2023. It happens that Leo arrived in Miami in August, with the competition already started, and his team located in last place in its conference, far from the zone of classification.

After winning the Leagues Cup 2023, that lightning tournament that meant the first title of the young pink institution, the effort of those led by Tata Martino was not enough to recover in the league, and they watched the definition on TV, where they became champions Columbus Crew.

Before the official start, Inter Miami will play several friendlies: the first of them will be on Friday the 19th, against the El Salvador National Team, on Salvadoran soil, and a few days later, on Monday the 22nd, they will visit FC Dallas at the Cotton Bowl stadium.

Then, the Herons will go on tour to Saudi Arabia, where they will face Al Hilal (without Neymar Jr., injured) and Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr, on Monday 1/29 and Thursday 1/2, respectively. They are also scheduled to host Newell’s on Thursday 2/15 at their stadium, the DRV PNK in Fort Lauderdale.

Messi’s official debut will be at home on Wednesday 2/21 at 10:00 p.m. (Argentine time), playing against Real Salt Lake in a kind of “opening match” of the league, the only one of the day, and with a possible tribute to the 10 who will have his debut as winner of eight Ballon d’Ors.

A few days later, at the formal start of the competition, Inter Miami will travel to the extreme west of the territory to face the LA Galaxy: it will be on Sunday 2/25 from 10:30 p.m. (Argentine time) at the Dignity Health Sports Park stadium in Los Angeles.

The first time for Messi’s team in the contest that consecrates the best team in Concacaf (at the level of a Champions in Europe or the Libertadores in South America) will be against a rival that will emerge from the clash between Nashville of the MLS and Moca, representative from Dominican Republic. Inter Miami is waiting for an opponent but has already confirmed the dates of that crossing: it will be a visitor on 3/7 at 11:00 p.m. (Argentine time) and will define as a home team on 3/13 at 9:15 p.m. (Argentine time).

The MLS teams will finally play the tournament that brings together all the league’s teams with those of Liga MX, which in the last edition crowned Inter Miami as champion. It will be played between July 26 and August 25, the date of the final, and will once again give three places for the Concachampions. This year, Messi’s team will have the prize of starting their way in the round of 16, without having to play the previous zone.

In 2023, the tournament featured 77 matches with an attendance of close to 1.3 million fans. The competition was intense, with an action-packed format in which an average of 3.26 goals were scored per game.