Luis Suarez Speaks! Here's His First Words As An Inter Miami Player + more
The Uruguayan speaks to the media for the first time since joining Inter Miami, plus sights and sounds from training.
(Photo credit: AUF, Lucas Uebel/Getty Images)
He’s here, and he’s perfect!
Hehe!
No, but in all seriousness, on January 13th, Luis Suarez spoke to the media for the first time as an Inter Miami player.
After months of negotiations, “will he won't, he's,” and speculation regarding his hypersensitive knee condition, the ex-Barcelona forward bared his soul in front of a room packed full of media members.
In what was a rather optimistic press conference, ‘Lucho’ touched on many topics, including the team’s ambitions, his physical health, and how he almost joined MLS in 2020.
Here’s what he had to say.
On…..His First Impressions of the Team:
"I'm happy. Very happy. It's a new challenge and a new team. There's challenges here I'm happy to have. I'm motivated."
Says he's rested and recovered.
On…. Reuniting With Messi, Alba, Busquets:
"We will find each other again on the pitch. Being able to join them again, it says a lot about our friendship."
On…. Miami’s Heavy 2024 Schedule:
"The professional has to be prepared for everything. In preseason, we will adapt to that. We are dedicated to the club and we're going to prepare for [that.]"
On…. MLS and How He Almost Joined The League in 2020:
"With [Orlando City’s Nico Lodeiro] I talked a lot about [the league.] I watched his games, now we're rivals."
Suarez also said since 2020 he wanted to play in MLS but different circumstances prevented it.
On…. The City Of Miami:
"They told me in June/July it's hot. But I'm also coming from Brazil where it's also difficult."
On…. Potential Copa América Selection:
"You always want to be on the team."
Says he wants to be selected based on his performance and merit.
On…. Miami’s Ambitions
"We're going to show on the pitch that we want to win. Last year, we [didn't win MLS Cup] but this year [that's one of our objectives.]"
Before we wrap up this quick roundup, let’s look at the sights and sounds during Inter Miami’s first official 2024 practice.
Around The Bird’s Nest…
(photo credit: Inter Miami CF)
Gregore was there!
Despite rumors that the Brazilian enforcer could leave, the 29-year-old was very much present at IMCF’s training facilities. Though anything can happen before the transfer window closes, the midfielder will stay - for now.
Although I couldn't see every player, it's safe to say that most, if not all, of the squad were present at practice, except for Robbie Robinson and Jean Mota:
Miami will bring another defender
After the departure of Kamal Miller, Tata Martino reiterated that the Herons were in the market for a center back:
Big Up to youngster Santiago Morales
A couple of months ago, the 16-year-old signed a Homegrown contract with the first team. Now? The young attacking midfielder is sharing the pitch with four of some of the greatest players of all time.
Pretty special, eh?
The Vibe was…different, in a positive way.
Normally, when you have a transformative roster overhaul like Miami has had in the last two transfer windows, the excitement would be uncontainable.
The excitement was certainly there, but when I stepped foot onto Miami’s training pitch, I got the feeling that the squad knew there was serious business to be done.
Yes, the reunion of Messi, Suarez, Alba, and Busquets will be a joy to watch. But it also felt like the four were there to continue to write the club’s story.
I think Inter Miami’s X post explained succinctly what the mood will be throughout 2024:
“The dream starts now.”