The Major League Soccer club announced on Monday that they
would host Newell’s at their DRV PNK Stadium on February 15.
Newell’s are based in the city of Rosario where Messi was
born and grew up, playing for their youth team before moving to Spanish club
Barcelona aged 13.
Inter coach Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino also hails from the city
and played for the club in three spells before returning as the team’s coach in
2012.
“I am delighted to welcome my beloved Newell’s to our home
here in Miami. It will be a special match due to everything Newell’s Old Boys
means to me,” Martino said.
“It will also be a good opportunity to prepare for what will
surely be an exciting season,” he added.
The fixture is the latest in a busy pre-season schedule for
Miami who will kick-off the preparations by facing the El Salvador national
team in San Salvador on January 19.
The club will then play two games in Saudi Arabia, including
against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr, before games in Hong Kong and Tokyo.
AFP