Chapter IV: "Finally, I have a team" ft. Fernando Fiore

The DTALKS Podcast

**INTRODUCING A NEW DTALKS PODCAST PRODUCTION: '25 FOR 25'**

In Chapter IV: "Finally, I have a team" El Presidente himself, Fernando Fiore, shares his perspective on what it was like covering the Miami Fusion throughout their run in MLS. While hosting Republica Deportiva on Univision every Sunday he was uniquely positioned to push the Miami Fusion and Major League Soccer to a new soccer-loving audience. Fernando shares the dismay he felt at losing both the NY Cosmos and the Miami Fusion, and why he's fervently pushed for broader acceptance of soccer in the United States to help grow the game globally. Enjoy!

25 years ago, on March 15, 1998, the Miami Fusion kicked off their opening game in MLS' 3rd season, becoming one of the 2 expansion teams in this ever-growing professional league. In 2001, despite putting together one of the best seasons in MLS history (at that point and arguably since), MLS made the decision to fold both the Fusion and their Florida neighbors, the MLS original franchise, Tampa Bay Mutiny. While MLS soccer has returned to Miami in the form of David Beckham's Inter Miami, much has been discussed of "what could've been?" Had the Miami Fusion been allowed to stay and build. Indeed, what WOULD a Miami Fusion look like in 2023? This podcast tells the story of the Miami Fusion through the voices of those who actually lived it. 25 interviews across 25 episodes charting the good, the bad, and the unbelievable.