Inter Miami were crowned Supporters’ Shield champions on the weekend, and in doing so, the Herons booked their place at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.
The revamped competition due to take place in the United States will see Inter Miami take on some of the best club sides in soccer, with the likes of FC Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich all taking part in the 32-team tournament.
One of two MLS sides taking part in the new-look competition, Inter Miami will hope to make a name for themselves in next summer’s tournament with the Florida franchise having one of the most exciting rosters with Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Sergio Busquets all likely to feature.
And former USA international Alexi Lalas has now shared what he thinks of Inter Miami qualifying for the Club World Cup.
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Inter Miami told they deserve their spot in the Club World Cup
Speaking on the State of the Union podcast, the pundit shared his approval of Inter Miami being named as the host nation’s pick to compete in the Club World Cup, with some American soccer fans not best pleased with the decision.
Lalas said when asked what he thinks about Inter Miami qualifying: “I don’t think anybody is looking at Inter Miami representing, not just Inter Miami, but representing MLS and representing the US in this tournament that’s coming next summer as a bad thing.
“But it never should have gotten to that, it should have been done ahead of time. And I know that this was a work in progress and this is the first in this expanded type of club World Cup that they are going to have, even with the challenge that they have. And this is a very nice thing to have, not just Inter Miami, but obviously Inter Miami with Messi to kind of kick it off.
“And in that moment, Gianni Infantino even said that they will be hosting the first game in Miami. So it is all about Miami, it’s all about Messi using him as a promotional vehicle for this club World Cup that needs promotion.”
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Inter Miami were the best option for MLS to select for the competition
Criticism surrounding Inter Miami’s selection to compete in the Club World Cup can be understandable to some fans, who feel like a team like the Columbus Crew should have been picked given their form in the last four years.
However, with Inter Miami winning this year’s Supporters’ Shield and setting a new MLS regular-season points record, few fans should be crying for favoritism when it comes to the Herons being selected to compete at the Club World Cup.
Indeed, Inter Miami have been the best side in MLS this year by some distance, and with a hugely marketable squad, Tata Martino’s side were always going to be the strong favorite to be selected to compete in the Club World Cup.