Inter Miami are the biggest team in MLS after last year’s summer of madness with the signing of Lionel Messi and the appointment of Tata Martino.
12 months on, the risks made by the Herons have paid off big time, with Inter Miami top of the Supporters’ Shield standings and already through to the post-season play-offs, where the Florida franchise are MLS Cup favorites.
Key to the success has been Martino, who has jelled together a team of superstars to create what could go down as the greatest MLS side of all-time if Messi and company can lead Inter Miami to success in the Supporters’ Shield and MLS Cup.
And the Argentine coach has now shared what Inter Miami experience that no team in MLS has ever gone through.
Martino says Inter Miami face more pressure than any team in MLS
Speaking to ESPN, Martino shared how Inter Miami face a pressure to win more than any MLS side the Herons manager has ever seen in the league, with the former FC Barcelona coach more than aware of what it’s like to experience such a feeling.
Martino said when asked about the pressure Inter Miami is facing this year: “The fact that we have them in this team obviously creates a clear obligation for us to win. I have never seen teams in the MLS in the time I have been here that have any kind of pressure to win.
“I have rarely seen teams that are forced to win. I had never seen it, but I do with Inter Miami. I had the possibility of playing two tournaments with Atlanta and I never read, nor watched, nor listened to any demands of winning.
“At the time, there were no headlines saying ‘the great candidate to win the MLS is this or that team.’ However, now that great candidate was Miami from the beginning of the season.”
Inter Miami can thrive off the pressure in the off-season
The Supporters’ Shield and MLS Cup will be viewed as Inter Miami’s to lose in the coming weeks, with the Florida side expected to go on and win both titles if they’re to call this season a success.
Yet like so many moments this season, Inter Miami can thrive off the pressure and make the most out of it by doing what they do best on the pitch, especially with Messi now back from injury.
Inter Miami have the quality and the form to go for both domestic titles in the final weeks of the season, and the Herons need to use the pressure to their advantage if they’re to call this year a major triumph.