Inter Miami’s 2024 Initial Preseason Practice | Luis Suarez Speaks

Fort Lauderdale, FL – The 2024 preseason officially kicked off for Inter Miami CF on Saturday morning with a training session that was open briefly to the media for about thirty minutes, followed by a press conference where Tata Martino and Luis Suarez answered questions.

The first glimpse of  Luis Suarez practicing with his new teammates and his declarations at the press conference left me feeling positive about the upcoming season.

A Fit Suarez

Luis Suarez looked fit and pain-free for the brief time I observed him during practice. He looked to be moving around without any issues, making runs, cutting with the ball, and passing during drills. A fit and healthy Suarez will surely mean that the Herons will have plenty of offensive firepower.

Hola @LuisSuarez9, bienvenido a Miami.

Arranca la pretemporada del @InterMiamiCF con Messi, Suárez, Busquets y Jordi al mando. @MLSes pic.twitter.com/Mtg3MUYHIH

— Antonella González (@soyantosports) January 13, 2024

A Motivated Suarez

Suarez says he and his former Barcelona teammates are,” Ambitious, very professional, and committed.” He went on to say that they intend to transmit their experience and desire to always compete to the young talented players on the team. A motivated “Fantastic Four” bodes well for Inter Miami’s hopes of winning multiple titles this season. The winning mindset of players like Messi, Alba, Busquets, and Suarez transmitted to Inter’s rising stars can foster a culture of excellence and leave a lasting legacy.

Suárez tells us that they are ambitious & want to win the #MLS title among the many objectives #InterMiamiCF has this season…He says that the veterans want to pass on their knowledge & professionalism to the younger talented players on the squad… pic.twitter.com/5Rl3odXUrv

— Xavier Guerrero (@XGLAVOZ) January 13, 2024

Clear Objectives

The Uruguayan striker says he’s happy to be on a new team that has clear objectives for the season; win it all. The US Open Cup, Leagues Cup, Champions Cup, and MLS Cup are all on Miami’s radar. It would be a grandiose conquest for the Herons if they could pull it off. Not an impossible task given the quality of Miami’s “Fantastic Four”, but difficult given their ages.

“La mejor palabra que tenemos que tener los jugadores es soñar, soñar en grande, soñar es querer ganar, y porque no sonar en ganar los cuatro títulos.”

Suarez talks about the club and our dreams for this upcoming season. pic.twitter.com/2KDUZcU48Q

— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) January 13, 2024

Tata Time

Tata Martino shared some interesting nuggets during his time on the microphone. Martino made it clear that Inter Miami is prioritizing the incorporation of a center-back to the squad. What might have been lost is the fact that he mentioned that the team might have to make more moves depending on the players they could lose. He then basically assured more moves would happen before the regular season begins.

Tata Martino makes it clear that CB is a priority for #InterMiamiCF due to Kamal Miller’s departure…#InterMiamiCF #MLS pic.twitter.com/n7eIrMpicL

— Xavier Guerrero (@XGLAVOZ) January 13, 2024

Tata Tactics

When asked about his preferred formation Martino stated that he wants the flexibility to play multiple formations. Tata mentioned that Miami was strongest defensively when they played 3 or 5 in the back. This leads me to believe that we will be seeing those formations a lot, with Suarez paired up top with another forward, or perhaps with Messi tucked in just below.

Tata talks about the desire of having tactical flexibility with a variety of formations…#InterMiamiCF #MLS pic.twitter.com/8iFO7w6uNp

— Xavier Guerrero (@XGLAVOZ) January 13, 2024

Final Thoughts

Luis Suarez looks fit and is motivated to play for Inter Miami CF; this is great for the Herons. The “Fantastic Four” are together again in Miami and it’s going to be a fun season.

Tata assured more moves would be happening before the start of the season. The next month is going to be hectic for Miami with the revamping of the roster to make it a championship-caliber team.

Emerson Rodriguez is back from his loan spell in Mexico and looks physically stronger. Could this mean Stefanelli or Corentin Jean are possible departures?

A historic preseason tour awaits Inter Miami CF, and I would venture to say a historic season awaits too.