Newsletter “Direct Purchase”
“RB in Miami”: Why Lionel Messi plays in front of tubular steel stands
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RB Leipzig was a guest at Inter Miami’s stadium. It is well known that superstar Lionel Messi plays there. His sporting home looks a little different than you would expect. A look behind the scenes.
Hello from Miami,
To be a guest where the great Lionel Messi usually steps onto the pitch, this was the honour bestowed on RB Leipzig in Miami. The final test match of the US tour against Wolverhampton Wanderers took place in Chase Stadium, which is otherwise the home of Messi’s club Inter Miami. One of the greatest (or the greatest?) footballers of our time – it can only be a luxurious stadium. Especially since one of the owners of Inter is a certain David Beckham.
But on closer inspection, the situation does not appear to be quite like that. Chase Stadium is only a temporary solution. Because construction had to be done quickly in 2019 (the construction time was less than a full year), the arena, which originally had a capacity of 18,000 fans, was built from tubular steel stands. Only part of it is covered. When it rains (which rarely happens in the Sunshine State of Florida), the fans sitting in the side stands get wet. Other things are also temporary, such as the toilets. They are mobile – and housed in (naturally stylish) looking truck trailers.
Side view of the main stand at Inter Miami’s Chase Stadium. The tubular steel construction is clearly visible.
Source: ahr
When Messi moved to Miami, the number of spectators at the club increased. The result: the construction workers had to get to work again. Additional stands were built in three previously open corners, also made of tubular steel. Since then, around 21,000 fans have been able to sit there. However, even with the additional seats, the stands do not form a continuous circle, making the pitch vulnerable to wind.
How long will Inter, which has built its academy next to Chase Stadium (RB trained here on Friday), stay in place? Construction of the new sporting home, which will be called Miami Freedom Park, is currently underway. The opening is currently planned for the start of the 2025 Major League Soccer season.
With the upcoming move, the club will lose a very special location advantage. Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport, where small private planes can take off and land, is located right next to the temporary home. It is a maximum of five minutes’ walk from the runway to the pitch. Since Inter has been regularly honored by the rich and beautiful not just since Messi was signed in the summer of 2023 (but even more frequently since then), they can fly in to games here without losing any time.
Eure Antje Henselin-Rudolph
Head of Sports Desk (currently somewhere over the Atlantic)
Reading recommendations:
- RB Leipzig ends its US tour with a 0:3 defeat. Against the Wolverhampton Wanderers from the Premier League, the Saxons noticeably lacked energy, but also offensive solutions. The information about the match.
- His first season at RB Leipzig went differently than expected. Nicolas Seiwald had to fight for playing time and was not always successful. How will things go in the second year? The Austrian spoke about it in Miami.
- RB Leipzig now has a sports director again. Marcel Schäfer is in office and met the team for the first time in Miami as part of the club’s US tour. Before the 40-year-old can really get started, the motto is “immersion”. More information here.
- RB Leipzig’s 2-0 win in the friendly against Aston Villa was the result of a solid performance in sauna conditions. It gave no cause for euphoria, but did offer some interesting initial insights. Find out what they were here.
- RB Leipzig fans are getting impatient. When will there be clarity about Dani Olmo, Xavi and André Silva? When will new players arrive? Or is there a method to the calm at Cottaweg? Sporting director Rouven Schröder knows more. He explained exactly what at the training camp.
Picture of the Day:
It is well known that Willi Orban is an expert in fitness and nutrition. It is also well known that the defender has a personal gym in his own home. What marketing appointment would have been more appropriate for the RB Leipzig captain in Miami than a visit to the legendary “Muscle Beach”, of course including a short session on the barbell?
Those: RB Leipzig/reason
Quote of the Day:
The motto “after the trip is before the trip” can be summed up in this way. Tours will be the rule and not the exception.
RB CEO Johann Plenge on the question of whether the US tour will remain a one-off affair
The camp diary archive:
LVZ
