What would await Lionel Messi? MLS & Inter Miami CF explained

Yes, now’s a good time to delve into Messi’s would-be new club.

Formally named Club Internacional de Fútbol Miami, Inter Miami, or IMCF for short, are a young organization, only taking the field in 2020. The informal nickname “Herons” comes from the two birds on their crest, a tribute to the region’s tropical ecology chosen specifically because they’re native to the area, unlike the pink flamingos who also flock to Biscayne Bay and adjacent waterways.

The distinctive pink, black and white color scheme – or “Rosanegra,” to use Spanish-language soccer convention – is influenced by the city’s sleek style as well as its colorful sunrises and sunsets. It makes Miami one of the few pro teams in North America to wear pink.

“David and I wanted to start with black and white,” CEO and managing owner Jorge Mas told ESPN when the brand was unveiled. “But we also wanted a color that we could own, and pink was it.”

The concept of an MLS team in South Florida existed long before IMCF. In fact, they’re the second such club in South Florida.

Miami Fusion FC took the pitch in 1998, MLS’s third year, and played at Lockhart Stadium, the historic ground in Fort Lauderdale, Florida that once stood on the same spot now occupied by Inter Miami’s practice and academy facility, the Florida Blue Training Center, and temporary, modular venue, DRV PNK Stadium. The Fusion won the 2001 Supporters’ Shield but alas, were shuttered along with the Tampa Bay Mutiny mere months later, as MLS contracted amid a low period.

Miami’s main rivals also live 200 miles up the Florida Turnpike: Orlando City SC.