Club to face Orlando City on Wednesday, July 8 at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and TSN
After over 17 weeks, Inter Miami CF will resume its historic inaugural season and the 25th season of Major League Soccer (MLS) with the opening match of the MLS is Back Tournament on Wednesday, July 8 at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando. The Club will face host team Orlando City SC in its third match in history, which will be nationally televised at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and TSN.
Pre-game coverage will begin at 7 p.m. ET on CBS My33 and the free Inter Miami App. The Club will also launch its own radio programming broadcasting the game in addition to hosting a pre- and post-game show with local talents beginning at 7:30 p.m. on the App. The match itself will also be transmitted on Spanish radio via Univision Miami’s WQBA 1140 AM.
“The tournament is important to the maximum. Every match we have to play, we know it has a high value because every time we play, we are making history,” said Head Coach Diego Alonso. “In the next match we’re looking for our first win and we will try, in each of the three group stage matches, to add the maximum number of points that allow us to come out from the Orlando tournament with better chances of qualifying to the playoffs.”
“We are very excited, happy with the possibility to play again, to do what we like, to be on a field of play, first through training and now in these next days, playing and debuting in the tournament. That gives us happiness,” added Alonso.
After making its MLS debut against LAFC at Banc of California Stadium on March 1 and scoring its first-ever goal on March 7 against D.C. United at Audi Field, Inter Miami’s inaugural campaign was paused with a league-wide suspension on March 12, two days before the Club’s home opener at Inter Miami CF Stadium, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Despite a training moratorium that prevented the team from practicing at the Inter Miami CF Training Center, Inter Miami continued its physical and tactical preparation through constant virtual sessions. In compliance with health and safety protocols created in consultation with infectious disease experts and the medical team at Baptist Health, the Club was always among the first to begin each of the training phases. Inter Miami began voluntary individual training on May 6, voluntary small group training on June 4, and full team training on June 9. On July 1, the Club arrived in Orlando, Fla. after a warm sendoff from its passionate supporters and has been training at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex since July 3.
Inter Miami was seeded to Group A of the MLS Is Back Tournament along with Orlando City on June 8 and was joined by the Chicago Fire FC, Philadelphia Union, New York City FC, and Nashville SC. In the tournament’s only six-team group, Inter Miami will play the Fire on July 14 and the Union on July 19. At least three teams are guaranteed to advance from Group A, as well as the top two teams from Groups B-F and the next best three best teams across all groups.
The MLS Is Back Tournament provides a compelling way for MLS to resume its 25th season with all 26 clubs. Group stage matches will count in the MLS regular season standings and the tournament winner will earn a spot in the 2021 Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League.
Inter Miami began its inaugural season with two matches on the road, starting with a trip to Banc of California Stadium on March 1, for a match against reigning Supporters’ Shield champions Los Angeles FC (LAFC). Inter Miami then traveled to Audi Field to take on D.C. United, where Rodolfo Pizarro scored the first goal in Club history, but left with a 2-1 loss while being a man down.
Orlando City, meanwhile, is coming off of a 0-0 home draw with Real Salt Lake and a 2-1 away loss to the Colorado Rapids before the pause in the regular season.
Orlando City’s 2019 MLS campaign saw them finish 11th in the Eastern Conference and reach the semifinals of the U.S. Open Cup. The team was led by Nani, a Portuguese forward who tallied 12 goals and 10 assists in the MLS regular season. This season, the team is under new management as former FC Dallas head coach Óscar Pareja was hired to Orlando City’s post prior to the start of the 2020 campaign.
