So is their enthusiasm for the team, regardless of their record. Their tailgating at the games is a regular event. They are the Inter Miami supporters who have been there from the beginning. Vice City 1896 is the largest faction of the overall group that calls itself La Familia, with four other different groups within it. It was clear they were mostly familiar faces.
They shook hands and hugged as people passed and mixed in with their crowd. He’s a big figure for all of us.”Ī cover of Selena’s “Como La Flor” played in the parking lot on the stadium’s north side where day-one Inter Miami fans gathered.
“And him coming here, it’s proof of that. “It’s a melting pot … That’s what I see,” he said. Of Nicaraguan descent, the cultural aspect was on his mind. That’s what several of them said they loved about the affair.Įddy Blandon, 32, of Miami Lakes, is a season ticket holder. South Florida’s diverse central and South American and Caribbean community was on full display among the tailgaters. He watched the team’s Instagram followers climb into the millions. When he heard Messi was coming, he thought strictly business. Luis Medina, 29, of Cooper City, walked around the property for hours Friday trying to sell his lanyards. People selling pink Messi hats, shirts and lanyards made an opportunity out of the craze. The group hung a large white banner, Messi’s face spray painted in the middle between Darth Vader and Yoda. Julio Iglesias, 41, of Miami Beach created the Messias 305 fan club, gathering over 1,000 members in a month.įriday was his first Inter Miami game, too. Like the ‘LeBron effect,’ businesses look to bring ‘Messi magic’ to Fort Lauderdale “I think the atmosphere of the game is going to be better than the actual match.” Related Articles “I’m looking forward to just the atmosphere,” he said. He said they could’ve resold them for hundreds.
He and his group of mostly family got their tickets before Messi’s announcement for $45. They’ve been Cruz Azul fans “since we all remember,” he said. Luis Cruz, 29, of Naples, was among one group of about 50 Cruz Azul fans in the grassy lot to the south of the stadium. “He’s not really a show off type of person.” They both saw the pictures of Messi shopping in Publix recently, a scene drastically different from the swarm of screaming fans that follow him in other parts of the world. Soriano said he admires Messi because of his humility. They said Friday was their first Inter Miami game. Karina Estrada, 29, and Martin Soriano, 29, drove from Central Florida (home of Inter Miami’s rival Orlando City SC) for the game with their 7-year-old son, Lionel.Įstrada and Soriano wore pink Inter Miami jerseys while Lionel wore Messi’s Argentina jersey.
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