Inter Miami kick off their inaugural Major League Soccer season against LAFC on Sunday.
The Herons’ long wait for their first MLS game is almost over, and it couldn’t come against a tougher opponent.
Supporters’ Shield champions LAFC lay in wait at the Banc of California Stadium with Diego Alonso hoping to upset the odds.
Though, they could be helped by the fact Bob Bradley’s team were in action as recently as Wednesday, beating Club Leon to advance to the quarter-finals of the CONCACAF Champions League.
Inter’s preparations have been a little more straightforward, losing to Philadelphia Union and beating the Tampa Bay Rowdies, as well as playing two more friendlies behind closed doors.
The Herons know they will be up against it this weekend, particularly with LAFC already up and running with competitive games.
Luis Robles was named Inter Miami’s first ever club captain this week
But whether it goes smoothly or not in Miami’s first ever MLS game, the learning process is what counts for the expansion side, according to Alonso.
“We’ve had five excellent weeks of work. We’ve worked very well,” said the Inter head coach.
“What I’ve learned is that this is a very competitive group. We have to continue learning how to compete to be able to succeed this season.
“ We expect a great rival. We understand that it’s maybe one of the strongest teams in the league. We expect a team that will do their best and we are also going to do our best to show our best version of ourselves.”
The match is set to kick-off at Sunday, March 1 at 5.30pm ET.
Expected line-ups
LAFC – Vermeer, Blackman, Jakovic, Segura, Palacios, Blessing, Atuesta, Kaye, Rodriguez, Rossi, Vela.
Inter Miami – Robles, Nealis, Figal, Torres, Sweat, Trapp, Ulloa, Pizarro, Pellegrini, Morgan, Robinson.
