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Chase Stadium

The birth of Club Internacional de Futbol Miami (Inter Miami CF) can be traced back to January 2007, when global soccer superstar David Beckham agreed to join Major League Soccer’s LA Galaxy. 

At the time of Beckham’s arrival, MLS was only in its 12th season of existence. Times had been difficult for the soccer league with finances making it hard to operate teams. Two Florida teams, the Miami Fusion and Tampa Bay Mutiny, had already been contracted, exiting the league in 2002. 

Beckham’s signing was a gamble. His contract was initially reported as worth $250 million for five years, a major investment for a league that was losing millions each season. There was no guarantee MLS’s popularity domestically or internationally would increase.

Fortunately, the league saw its star begin to rise, thanks in part to Beckham and soccer becoming more popular with sports fans in the United States. It was a watershed moment.

Inter Miami CF is Founded

A clause had been inserted into Beckham’s LA Galaxy contract by MLS, stating the player could purchase an expansion franchise for $20m upon retirement. Shortly after calling it a day on his career, Beckham became linked with a new MLS team. Rumors swirled about the former England captain’s planned destination for an MLS franchise. 

In truth, Miami as the destination for an MLS franchise was a poorly kept secret. MLS wanted to return to South Florida and tap into the burgeoning soccer market. Beckham was MLS’s way back into the city. Miami had already failed to attract an expansion franchise in 2009. Marcelo Claure, a telecoms businessman, and Spain’s FC Barcelona attempted to lure a club to the city. Beckham would succeed were the previous party didn’t.

 Beckham retired in 2013, and almost immediately talks started between the league, the former player’s group, and the city of Miami. Despite talks beginning in 2013, Beckham’s group wasn’t awarded an expansion franchise until 2018. At the time, Miami would be home to the 25th MLS franchise. The league now has 29 teams.

Inter Miami CF Begin Play

With the city secured as the new home to Beckham’s MLS team, the ownership group began to put the puzzle pieces in place for the franchise to enter the league and officially kick off play. First, a name for the team was needed. 

So, in September 2018, the franchise was officially given its moniker, Club Internacional de Futbol Miami, or CF Inter Miami for short. The name is a homage to Miami’s large Hispanic population. Miami’s population is over 70% Hispanic, and the club’s name taps into the history of local culture. 

Inter Miami played its first MLS match on March 1, 2020, a defeat to Beckham’s former team, the LA Galaxy, 1-0. The team’s first head coach was Diego Alonso, a man tasked with meeting the high expectations set out for the first-year franchise. Unfortunately for Alonso and Inter Miami fans, external factors would lead to the collapse of the team’s inaugural season.

The COVID-19 pandemic halted the MLS regular season after two matches. A midseason tournament was hastily created before an abbreviated campaign was held from August until November. The team’s debut season was unfortunately awash by no mistakes of its own. 

The 2021 season saw MLS return to its full 34-match season and less chaos from the pandemic-shortened campaign. Beckham’s former Manchester United teammate and former England women’s manager, Phil Neville, was now in charge of the team after taking over from Alonso. Inter Miami posted a record of 12W-12L-10T but missed out on the MLS playoffs.

 Neville’s second season in charge, Inter Miami’s third in MLS, saw the team qualify for the MLS playoffs for the first time after recording a record of 14W-14L-6T. Former Chelsea, Real Madrid, and Juventus striker Gonzalo Higuain led the team in scoring with 16 goals.

Chase Stadium

In May 2019, Inter Miami CF broke ground on the old Lockhart Stadium site in Fort Lauderdale. Lockhart Stadium had a long history as the home of soccer in the Miami area. The venue was opened in 1959 and hosted various versions of the Fort Lauderdale Strikers, MLS’s Miami Fusion, Miami FC, and the Florida Atlantic Owls. 

The Fort Lauderdale Strikers moved out of Lockhart Stadium in 2016. The lack of a tenant meant the old venue fell into disrepair, allowing Inter Miami to take over the site three years later. After demolishing the old ground, the club erected Inter Miami CF Stadium, which was later renamed DRV PNK Stadium and now Chase Stadium. 

The stadium officially opened in July 2020. Its unveiling was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The stadium holds just over 19,000 fans and is central to the Inter Miami complex. There, the club holds its training sessions on the 34-acre site. Chase Stadium is the crown jewel of the complex.

Inter Miami CF Colors and Culture

Inter Miami unveiled a unique color combination, one different from any other American professional sports team. The club embraced its South Florida roots by selecting black, pink, and white as its three colors. The home kit featured a white jersey, pink shorts, and white socks. An all-black away uniform with pink stripes was used for road matches. 

After two seasons, Inter Miami decided a change was needed. It was time to go all-in on pink. For the 2022 campaign, Inter Miami adopted an all-pink home kit, doubling down on a unique look. The away strip remained black, but pink socks were added to break up the head-to-toe black uniform. 

The Inter Miami badge features two white herons standing on either side of an eclipse. The sun has seven rays coming from it, which is a homage to Beckham’s famous No. 7 jersey with Manchester United. The team’s name encircles the badge, with the Roman numeral MMXX, marking the team’s first season in MLS. The team’s logo and colors also pay tribute to the city of Miami’s art deco history. The lettering and lines make for one of the more unique badges in a soccer league, with some very plain offerings. 

Due to a combination of reasons such as Beckham, the team colors, the crest, and being in Miami, the club’s jerseys sold quickly in 2020. Reports claim fans in over 40 countries ordered jerseys from online retailers. Fans in the United Kingdom accounted for more than 50% of Inter Miami’s shirt sales, and now with Messi, the sky is the limit!