Saturday evening presented a historic first for Inter Miami CF Stadium, as the Club’s venue in Fort Lauderdale hosted a thrilling friendly between the USA Men’s Eagles and Argentina, marking the first-ever rugby match at Inter Miami CF’s first home!
The teams delivered a thrilling battle on the field, with USA ultimately earning a 25-24 victory.
The event built on an exciting year of first and historic feats for Inter Miami CF’s facilities and Heron Sports & Entertainment: Nu Stadium’s first season, Carín León performing in front of a sold out crowd at the first concert at Nu Stadium, Nu Stadium hosting KidSuper for its first-ever fashion show, and the Club’s facilities - the Florida Blue Training Center, Nu Stadium and Inter Miami CF Stadium - serving as training sites for a FIFA World Cup for the first time and being the most utilized facilities by national teams this summer in the process.
Ahead of the match, both teams carried out training sessions and looked forward to the memorable occasion.
“We’re very happy that Inter Miami Stadium will host its first rugby match and that we’ll be the ones making history,” said Argentina XV head coach Álvaro Galindo.
“I’m surprised and excited by how beautiful the entire club and all of its facilities are. We toured everything, and today, for the first time, we came to this beautiful stadium. It’s truly exciting because we know there are some of the biggest names in world fútbol here, including Rodrigo De Paul and Lionel Messi, who are both iconic figures in Argentina,” commented Bautista Lescano of Argentina XV.
“We’re really excited, and always grateful for the opportunity to play rugby and make history in this stadium. And what a massive opportunity it is to play in the stadium where Messi plays,” said USA Men’s Eagles player Ma’ake Muti.
“It’s a beautiful stadium. Obviously, the first thing I recognize as a player is the grass. Unbelievable grass, nice and short for us to be running on. And then the stands are amazing. It’s just amazing for us to be playing in a quality stadium, and especially to be in front of a lot of fans from South Florida,” added USA Men’s Eagles player Dominic Besag.
