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FORT LAUDERDALE, FL – SEPTEMBER 20: Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi 10 looks at a teammate after a failed scoring opportunity during the match between Toronto FC and Inter Miami CF at DRV PNK Stadium, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Photo by Peter Joneleit/Icon Sportswire SOCCER: SEP 20 MLS, Fussball Herren, USA – Inter Miami CF vs Toronto FC EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon230920050
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FORT LAUDERDALE, FL – SEPTEMBER 20: Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi 10 looks at a teammate after a failed scoring opportunity during the match between Toronto FC and Inter Miami CF at DRV PNK Stadium, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Photo by Peter Joneleit/Icon Sportswire SOCCER: SEP 20 MLS, Fussball Herren, USA – Inter Miami CF vs Toronto FC EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon230920050
In light of their upcoming US Tour in July, FC Barcelona proposed to Inter Miami to play a friendly. The side, captained by former Barcelona stalwart, Lionel Messi, however, rejected the proposal, according to Mundo Deportivo’s Joan Porqui. Inter Miami will be partaking in the Leagues Cup in July, aiming to defend their title. The Herons have therefore snubbed Blaugrana’s request, citing the proposed friendly will clash with their Leagues Cup preparations. Furthermore, Lionel Messi will be coming fresh off Argentina’s Copa America campaign in the US. Therefore, he has a snowball’s chance in hell to play any friendly, save the Barcelona one, as Miami prepares for the cup competition.
Barcelona will either way be looking to cut short their US tour than the two-week long outing they had in 2023. With a chance to play against ex-Barcelona greats ruled out, the Blaugrana is reportedly planning to play soccer clubs based in Orlando and New York. Anyhow, Barcelona is yet to officially announce the dates they will be touring America. The club owes this delay to a busy soccer season in July. The UEFA Euro and the Copa America will both conclude only in July. Besides, the Summer Olympics will also dawn in late July in Paris.
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NASHVILLE, TN – AUGUST 19: Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi 10 along with defender DeAndre Yedlin 2 and teammates prepare to lift the championship trophy during the Leagues Cup Final match between Nashville SC and Inter Miami CF on Saturday, August 19, 2023 at GEODIS Park in Nashville, TN. Photo by Nick Tre. Smith/Icon Sportswire SOCCER: AUG 19 Leagues Cup Final – Nashville SC vs Inter Miami CF EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon2308190088
Last year, Xavi’s men toured the US and played against Dallas FC and Las Vegas Lights FC. This time they are touring the East Coast. It is quite interesting to fathom that Barcelona won’t meet the likes of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets, and Jordi Alba, despite coming to Miami’s neighbors, Orlando. Anyhow, to play friendlies the Catalan giant needs to first sort out its accommodation.
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Lionel Messi’s ex-employers are on the lookout for a temporary home in the US!
Barcelona established a corporate office in New York in 2016. Moreover, the club also runs a youth academy named ‘Casa Grande’ in Arizona. Now, they are looking forward to finding a fitting stay while touring the East Coast. Last time, when they arrived on the West Coast, Xavi and Co. stayed in Los Angeles and trained there for 10 days. The club had trained at Inter Miami’s facility in 2022. Now that Miami has rejected their request for a friendly, the Blaugrana mostly won’t return to Fort Lauderdale this year.
Therefore, the club is reportedly aiming to establish a headquarters in the US, to ease their travels for friendly matches. For Inter Miami, rejecting Barca’s request was a no-brainer, as the Leagues Cup means much more than a friendly. But for the average soccer fan, a Miami-Barca clash would have been nothing but a treat. Undoubtedly, it would have indeed been a spectacle to see the Blaugrana veterans draw daggers against Xavi’s boys. Only time will tell if such a clash is in the cards in the years to come.
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