The painful reason Inter Miami is on the outside looking in

Inter Miami is casting an envious glance toward the Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinals, the very round it missed out on after being eliminated in the previous stage by Nashville SC, which faces a difficult test against Club América on Tuesday.

For Inter Miami, failing to reach this quarterfinal stage is a heavy blow – a frustrated dream – because the Herons had been eager to be there for two main reasons.

One of them was that, had they secured a place in the quarterfinals, Inter Miami would have been able to make its debut in this competition at Nu Stadium, the venue it officially opened last weekend in MLS with a draw against Austin FC.

As a result, Miami missed the chance to begin its pursuit of the Concacaf title, a trophy the club had hoped to lift this season, with what would have been an opening matchup against one of the region’s biggest names in Club América, the tournament’s most successful team.

Inter Miami and a difficult road back to Concachampions

For Inter Miami, returning to the Concacaf Champions Cup will be a priority next season, but first the club must now focus on securing a place in the next edition.

To do that, the Herons will look to qualify through MLS, where they have several possible paths – winning the Supporters’ Shield, finishing among the top teams in the overall league standings, or lifting the MLS Cup again in December.

If one or more of those routes slips away, Inter Miami could still turn to the Leagues Cup, which offers three additional berths – for the champion, runner-up, and third-place finisher.

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