Inter Miami last week won the Supporters’ Shield title at last, with Lionel Messi lifting a historic 46th title in his career.
The Florida franchise have been by far and away the best team in MLS this year, with Tata Martino guiding Inter Miami to their second-ever title after winning Leagues Cup last season with all eyes now set on MLS Cup.
The season has not been defined by Messi, though, with Inter Miami’s supporting cast the main reason why the Herons were as good as they were with the entire roster stepping up whenever the Argentine international was unavailable.
And Julian Gressel has praised one group at Inter Miami in particular for their success this year.
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Gressel praises Inter Miami’s front office for building the roster
Speaking to Apple TV after Inter Miami’s 1-0 win against Toronto FC on Saturday, Gressel lauded the club’s front office for putting in the work to build the squad needed to win the Supporters’ Shield, with the Florida franchise having arguably the best and deepest squad in MLS history.
Gressel said when asked how Inter Miami managed to cope with the pressure going into this season: “There was a lot of talk of us going into year as one of the deepest teams that have ever set foot in MLS, and that shows that we all contributed.
“Even through Copa America, through injuries, we prevailed, and the record would be a huge accomplishment for the club and all of us players. We haven’t had much continuity in the lineup.
“It’s just a tremendous amount of credit to the front office for putting this roster together the way they did and to the players for understanding that and just stepping in and not missing a beat.”
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Inter Miami have shown they’re more than just Lionel Messi this year
Inter Miami to many outsiders are still viewed as ‘the Lionel Messi club’, with the 37-year-old attacker no doubt playing a role in the Herons’ fortunes this season with an impressive record of 17 goals and ten assists in 18 MLS games.
However, Inter Miami have been more than just Messi this year in MLS, with the likes of Gressel, Leonardo Campana and Drake Callender all taking their games to new levels to push Martino’s side to the Supporters’ Shield.
Indeed, Inter Miami’s success has been a collective effort this year, and the Florida franchise will want to add one more title to their collection in the form of the MLS Cup, which Messi and company will be intent on winning.
