With less than a year to go until the new Club World Cup, FIFA has already decided that Inter Miami will receive a host wild card. However, this decision hasn’t been well received by one of U.S. soccer’s legends.
Details: Legendary U.S. coach Bruce Arena labeled the decision "commercial," arguing that Inter Miami isn’t the top representative of MLS and that the club’s inclusion is driven by Lionel Messi’s global appeal.
Quote: "It’s clearly a marketing move. Is Inter Miami the only MLS representative? If so, I think it’s wrong. I don’t agree with it, but obviously, Messi will attract a lot of attention," Arena told talkSPORT.
Reminder: The MLS season is still ongoing. Inter Miami clinched the regular-season title, but MLS champions are decided through playoffs, meaning Inter Miami technically yet isn’t the official MLS champion.
Yasmine GreenDailysports's expert
Translated by the editors