Today, Inter Miami CF proudly hosted its historic inaugural Special Olympics Unified home match at Chase Stadium. The 2024 Inter Miami CF Special Olympics Unified Team hosted Chicago Fire’s Special Olympics Unified Team for a thrilling 2-2 draw. The event embodied Inter Miami CF’s motto, Freedom to Dream, by providing an opportunity to embrace inclusivity and diversity through the beautiful game and its power to unite communities.
“We are committed to providing access and inclusion to people from all walks of life to the beautiful game of fútbol, so we partnered with Special Olympics four years ago. Today, we are excited to celebrate a historic day as our Inter Miami Special Olympics Unified Team plays at home for the first time, and doing so at Chase Stadium is incredible,” said Chris Allan, Inter Miami CF VP of Fan Strategy & Experience.
Prior to the game kicking off, Inter Miami’s Goalkeeper Coach Sebastián Saja led our Special Olympic Unified Team goalkeepers’ warm-up session.
“For me, it has been a beautiful experience. I was very happy when they called me to assist with the warm-up of our Special Olympics Unified Team goalkeepers. I think it’s great that Inter Miami CF organizes these types of events,” said Saja. “One of the goalkeepers mentioned to me that he remembered my matches when I used to play. That touched my heart and, of course, made me very proud.”
Cheering on our Special Olympics Unified Team were players’ family members and La Familia supporters who created a vibrant atmosphere accompanied by loads of great fútbol, competition, and unforgettable memories for our players. One of our own stars, Julian Gressel, also showed his support by working with the coaches on the sideline encouraging our squad.
The squad was comprised of goalkeepers Patrick Hicks and Iván Cadavid; while the field players Eduardo Márquez, Alan García, Alain Figueroa, Peter Reece, Yoseline Mendoza, Kenny Gould-Papili, Andrés Baptiste, Sky Carrizo, Darian Sierra, Gabriel Carrizo, Daniel Alonso (C), Julissa Vargas, Nico Hernández-Vidal, and Andre Guevara led the team.
The match started with a clean strike by Inter Miami’s captain Daniel Alonso in the second minute to give the team a 1-0 lead. Having joined the squad in 2021, today the captain played his last game for the team to embark on his college career next semester. The game continued to go in favor of Inter Miami when Peter Reece hit the crossbar with a powerful shot. Both teams shared possession during the first half but Chicago would go up the scoreline 1-2 by the end of the first half.
During the second half, Reece was rewarded for his previous attempt with a goal to tie the game 2-2 just minutes before the final whistle. Aside from being an original member of the squad, our number 5 holds the Deadlift State Record showing his strength on and off the field.
Our first-ever Unified home match concluded with Gressel handing out medals for our players, adding a memorable and celebratory touch to this historic event.
