The squad has a “clear obligation” to win the MLS Cup, according to Inter Miami CF head coach Gerardo Martino, given the presence of players like Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez, Jordi Alba, and Sergio Busquets.

Though Martino led Atlanta United FC to the title in 2018, he maintained that the current pressure to win is unparalleled.

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“The fact that we have them in this team obviously creates a clear obligation for us to win,” he said in an interview with ESPN. “I have never seen teams in the MLS in the time I have been here that have any kind of pressure to win. I have rarely seen teams that are forced to win. I had never seen it, but I do with Inter Miami.

“I had the possibility of playing two tournaments with Atlanta and I never read, nor watched, nor listened to any demands of winning. At the time, there were no headlines saying ‘the great candidate to win the MLS is this or that team.’ However, now that great candidate was Miami from the beginning of the season.”

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The Herons won the Leagues Cup in the 2023 season, although their past performance prevented them from making the MLS playoffs. Now that Inter Miami has the best record in Major League Soccer and is atop the Eastern Conference standings, after defeating FC Cincinnati on August 24, they have punched their ticket to the postseason. Messi, Suarez, Busquets, and Alba will get to compete for the league title for the first time since arriving.

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PHOTO CREDIT: Getty