With Inter Miami approaching its first playoff match, managing owner Jorge Mas joined Onside Radio to reflect on the Club’s historic inaugural campaign. Mas shared his happiness with the team’s major accomplishment of becoming just the seventh franchise to qualify for the playoffs in its first season, as well as his excitement for what’s to come.
“It was an amazing experience and I’m happy to have been a part of it. Hopefully we can continue our run. Everybody starts from zero now -it’s win or go home. Our players were presented with that challenge and I think they’ll be up to it.
“A shoutout and thank you to all the fans that have supported us. It has been a tough year, but we’re alive, we’re nine days away from our first playoff game. I think [the accomplishment] is a tribute to the whole staff, the players of Inter Miami, with all the adversity, the starts, the stops, the bubble, the filling of the rosters.”
Following the playoff-clinching victory, Mas noted the joy on the faces of even the most accomplished players.
“Seeing a World Cup winner like Blaise Matuidi and a World Cup finalist like Gonzalo Higuaín with joy like they were kids again was very satisfying.”
While qualifying for the playoffs was a major accomplishment in his eyes, Mas’ ambition extends beyond this year. The buy-in from accomplished professionals on the team has served to solidify his belief in the project and the weight it carries with players.
“We’re working hard, we’re all in and fully committed…I want the first team that comes to mind when people think about soccer in the United States to be Inter Miami."
Meanwhile, Mas has seen the rumors that circle Inter Miami. He knows that these come with the territory of operating a Club of such stature and chooses to view it as a positive reflection of its appeal.
“What a great testament to our city and to our brand and to our team. With my partner David Beckham, we aspire to bring the global sport to Miami, to have a great team, to build a winning culture, to make noise and try to win a cup every year. That’s the aspiration. I’ve had the opportunity alongside David to meet some of the greatest players in the world through the journey building this.
“We will always be talking to the major superstars around the world to come here. We’re on the map, they’re interested in being part of the Inter Miami story, the Inter Miami project. I think there’s no doubt as we look out five years from now, with an upcoming World Cup in the United States in 2026, that MLS and the United States of America will be one of the major, if not the major, markets for fútbol worldwide…I think that MLS, being in the largest commercial market in the world, looks at youth participation in fútbol, I think it’s the sport of the future in the United States…[Players] see the attractiveness of coming to Miami, an international city, global city, gateway to the Americas. Who wouldn’t want to live in this beautiful city?”
While his focus remains competing this season, Mas is keeping an eye on the future. The big picture is of utmost importance to the Miami native, but he emphasized the need for patience as the project unfolds.
“It’s going to take time. This is our first year, our inaugural season, and under difficult circumstances…We’ve got fans from all over the world. We have the top selling merchandise, we’re the top engaged team on social media channels in the U.S., 45% of our app users are outside of the United States, so we have global attention. Our games are streamed and seen all over the world and that will only grow as we continue to grow our brand and our team continues to hopefully play well. We want to finish 2020 strong and aspire to win every game we can, one game at a time…We’re already making plans for 2021 to make a splash.
“I will truly consider it the start of Inter Miami once we have our first game in front of a full house.”
