Just how excited are Inter Miami supporters ahead of the team's inaugural MLS match on Sunday?
Well, they not only traveled to LA to watch their team in action at Banc of California Stadium against Supporters' Shield holders LAFC (5:30 pm ET on ESPN), but they made sure to welcome the squad back to the team hotel after their final practice.
Scenes ensued as the players joined them in the chanting right off the team bus:
It remains to be seen what we can expect on the pitch from Inter Miami after a preseason during which head coach Diego Alonso kept his cards close to the vest (only two lineups made public and one was mostly a reserve side).
But we do know that the Inter Miami supporters, known as La Familia, will bring it wherever the team is playing.
Sharing moments with supporters is becoming part of the Inter Miami ethos, at least in the early going. It also happened during preseason:
Sunday's matchup promises to be a compelling one. Although it's unclear who will line up at center forward for Alonso's side with Julian Carranza out due to injury — Juan Agudelo, Robbie Robinson and Jerome Kiesewetter would appear to be the options — what's for sure is that new big-money signing Rodolfo Pizarro will carry the weight of leading the club's attack as the playmaker.
One thing going for Inter Miami is that they face an LAFC team that expended significant effort to overturn a 2-0 first-leg deficit in defeating Liga MX side Club Leon 3-0 on Thursday to advance to the Concacaf Champions League quarterfinals.
Extratime on Inter Miami's playoff chances:
