Lionel Messi and Inter Miami kicked off a demanding 2024 preseason schedule with an unremarkable draw against El Salvador in an official friendly on March 16. Tens of thousands of fans packed Cuscatlan Stadium to see this match, featuring Messi alongside Barcelona alumni Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba, as well as Luis Suarez of Uruguay. In this article, we will discuss about el salvador national football team vs inter miami timeline.
Timeline
El Salvador national football team and Inter Miami will face off on Friday at Estadio Cuscatlan stadium in San Salvador in a match sure to draw much interest. Fans from both teams should attend, marking Miami’s first preseason match out of seven, which also include visits to Saudi Arabia and Japan.
MLS teams will look to gain momentum ahead of the 2024 campaign and the game against El Salvador national football team provides an ideal chance to do just that. In addition, it gives Herons some experience of Central American conditions as they prepare to make their CONCACAF Champions Cup debut next season – having qualified through winning their inaugural Leagues Cup thanks to Messi and his former Barcelona teammates Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba.
Inter’s game against El Salvador national football team will present Inter with an excellent chance to prove themselves but they will face multiple hurdles along the way. Not only must they face off against an experienced El Salvador squad but will also play in a stadium in need of substantial repairs; recent security incidents at this stadium are yet to be addressed and it remains uncertain what may occur should any more incidents take place there.
Lionel Messi will be the star attraction in this match and he’ll look to make an immediate mark at his new club, Miami Herons. Messi could score his inaugural goal for Miami; that would mark an auspicious beginning to his Herons career; however, he must remain wary against El Salvador attackers posing a significant threat.
The Herons will look to build on their impressive draw against Guatemala and keep up their preparations for the 2021 Gold Cup, where they hope to prove they are the top team in their region by winning this game and showing their superiority over rival teams.
Preparation
Inter Miami will kickoff their preseason on Friday against El Salvador’s national team at Estadio Cuscatlan. Led by Lionel Messi since joining in 2024, Inter has experienced incredible growth since Lionel’s arrival, winning their inaugural major trophy: Leagues Cup. Furthermore, Inter now hope to compete in CONCACAF Champions Cup this year.
Inter will face off against a country ranked 78th, yet Inter should expect to have an edge due to its roster of experienced players, led by Messi and his former Barcelona teammates as well as Brazilian midfielder Marcelo and Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez.
El Salvador is no pushover, either. Their national team is led by veteran full-back Bryan Tamacas who has earned 63 international caps; forward Nelson Bonilla leads with 19 goals scored over 56 appearances as top scorer.
Both teams will have much to prove on the field, but Inter is clearly the favorite. Inter’s stars may gain the upper hand early in the matchup and lead their opponents downhill; it could result in an easy victory for Inter.
Inter’s players will be eager to kick off their season in style. Aiming to shake off any rust after playing no competitive matches for nearly one month and impress their new manager Gerardo “Tata” Martino.
Tata will likely start his game with Messi, Sergio Busquets, and Jordi Alba – former teammates and friends from his time at Barcelona – and younger players for valuable experience. But it should come as no surprise that Herons need to improve on defense as they allowed 12 goals during two previous friendlies; to reach the playoffs this season they must change this number drastically.
Matchday 1
Inter Miami kicked off their extensive preseason tour on Friday night at Estadio Cuscatlan with a friendly against El Salvador at Estadio Cuscatlan – marking Lionel Messi’s debut alongside his new teammates as they prepare to commence the 2024 campaign. Over the next three weeks they will visit Dallas, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong and Japan playing seven matches totalling 23,000 miles!
Fans not only had an opportunity to watch Inter Miami stars in action, but also got a taste of El Salvador culture before and during the match. Club president Nayib Bukele met with and hosted Inter Miami prior to game day; players met and posed for photos with him before arriving in San Salvador city with modern buses painted in team colors which fans enthusiastically welcomed them on arrival.
Even with its star-studded roster, this match ended in a scoreless draw. Inter Miami held possession but were kept at bay by El Salvador’s hard-fought defense; visitors created several scoring chances including Jordi Alba’s shot which was blocked by goalkeeper Mario Gonzalez.
El Salvador’s defense remained dominant during the second half, limiting Inter Miami’s chances to occasional breakaways while blocking several crosses from left wingers. Gerardo Martino of Inter Miami made sure to rest Messi, Luis Suarez and Busquets by resting them as part of his strategy for victory.
On Saturday in Tokyo, the squad should be more refreshed for its final tour match against El Salvador, though some key players such as Alex Roldan and Eric Zavaleta will remain with their Major League Soccer clubs. Still, this match should provide an important gauge of readiness ahead of the 2024 campaign; El Salvador have not lost in competitive matches since November 2018.
Matchday 2
Inter Miami CF will open their 2024 preseason tour against El Salvador at Estadio Cuscatlan Stadium on Friday. Inter has already sold out season tickets for their forthcoming campaign just two weeks after going on sale; currently ranking 78th in FIFA, Inter boasts former Barcelona stars Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez among its ranks.
Both teams will take to the Estadio Cuscatlan stadium, which can hold 45,000 spectators, for their inaugural meeting at Estadio Cuscatlan on April 15th. Hugo Perez of former USMNT star status and National Soccer Hall-of-Famer fame is leading Hugo Perez’s side while Inter has brought in experienced coach David Doniga as their leader.
Inter’s starting lineup features CJ dos Santos, Tomas Aviles, DeAndre Yedlin and Julian Gressel on defense; Noah Allen, Jordi Alba, Benjamin Cremaschi and Gregore in midfield; Messi and Suarez up front – an Argentine maestro who transformed Inter into its inaugural Leagues Cup title winner last season.
El Salvador’s national team is currently under the guidance of Spanish manager Ruben de la Barrera, with extensive club-level coaching experience. Over recent friendlies against Curacao they earned two draws; furthermore El Salvador participated in both 2023 editions of Concacaf Gold Cup and Nations League tournaments.
This match will mark the return of many former national team players, such as goalkeeper Jose Aguilar and defenders Xoven Correa and Fernando Gonzalez who all participated in reaching the quarterfinals of Copa America 2015 but lost to Costa Rica and Guatemala. They hope to improve upon that performance at this year’s Copa America tournament which begins June and includes many top teams worldwide; additionally they’re gearing up for World Cup qualifiers starting March with matches against Haiti and Jamaica as part of that competition.
