Inter Miami’s historic inaugural season came to a close after a road playoff loss to Nashville SC. The campaign saw the team battle through unprecedented circumstances on a global scale, accordingly empty stadiums, an altered schedule, and many other challenges. Despite the difficulties, Inter Miami’s fans supported the team through the entirety of the season, boosting the team with their energy from afar.
For manager Diego Alonso, their support was a driving force. He dedicated everything the team does to them and expressed a desire to improve next year for them.
"We're hurt by the elimination tonight. We regret that we weren't able to advance to the next round for our fans. We had support from a lot of them here today and they've been supporting us throughout the entire year despite all its difficulties,” said Alonso. “I think they've been an important support for the team; we move for them and everything we do is dedicated to them. Unfortunately, we couldn't dedicate advancement to the next round to them today but hopefully next year we can do better and dedicate it to them."
While fans were unable to attend the majority of the home matches at Inter Miami CF Stadium, their support was still felt by the team at all times dating back to the start of the project. Veteran defender A.J. DeLaGarza reflected on this support and what it meant to him and the team.
“One of the reasons I chose to come to Miami was because of the fanbase. There was a fanbase before there was a player. You can see it in the stands, their passion. They waited so long to have a team here.”
As the team closes the book on 2020, their sights are now set on the 2021 MLS season. For DeLaGarza, this means again looking towards the fans as motivation. His message to them ahead of next season, meanwhile, was one of appreciation and hope.
“We thank them for their support and hopefully they stick with us and understand 2020 wasn’t a normal year. Hopefully they will be out there next year to support us at the stadium.
“I’m confident that this team and the people who are running it are doing the right things, so we have to keep our heads up and move forward.”
