Inter Miami to Bolster Security in Anticipation of Lionel Messi’s Debut

• Lionel Messi could play his first game for his new team Inter Miami on July 21
• The Barcelona legend is expected to debut in a League Cup match against Liga MX side Cruz Azul
• The Argentine captain had previously spent time in Miami before the 2022 World Cup

Lionel Messi is expected to make his first appearance at DRV PNK Stadium in the League Cup match against Liga MX side Cruz Azul

With the arrival of Lionel Messi at MLS side Inter Miami imminent, something which remains a cause for worry to Jorge Mas and David Beckham is the security concerns for the Argentine.

DRV PNK Stadium has a capacity of only 18,000, and demand to watch Argentina’s World Cup-winning captain in action in the flesh will far outstrip supply.

Speaking to the Miami Herald, Beckham’s co-owner Jorge Mas addressed the issue:

“Security will obviously be improved. Players will be transported by bus and arrive via a tunnel. All those security protocols are already set up both here and for away matches. And it’s not just for our games”.

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Messi’s previous stay in Miami

Mas looked back to Messi and Argentina’s stay in Miami before the 2022 World Cup in Qatar when they took on Honduras in a friendly and trained at the Herons’ training complex:

“It will become an everyday thing, something that we’ve already seen and that I think was handled very well when Messi was here with Argentina before the World Cup”.

Quoted by Darios AS, Mas recalled:

“As you’ll remember, Argentina trained in Miami before flying to Doha. We had the opportunity to see ‘Messimania’ right on our doorstep every day in training.

So we are very prepared. We’ve been preparing for this”.

The main difference, of course, being that ‘Messimania’ will be every day rather than just for a few days and will intensify on matchday."

Inter Miami targets more signings

Sports Brief earlier reported Inter Miami are on the look to strengthen their squad with more signings in preparation for Messi's debut, which is slated for 21 July, when the Florida side takes on Liga MX’s Cruz Azul in the newly-formed Leagues Cup.

The MLS basement side in the hope to get competitive have been linked to a few other signings including the Barcelona duo of Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba.