MLS side Inter Miami’s nicknames 'The Herons' & 'Vice City': Explained

The Herons are even represented in the club’s crest.

‘Vice City’ is the moniker of a segment of Inter Miami’s fan base. The phrase was originally used to describe the entire city of Miami, in the 1980s, when it was the epicentre of drug-related crime. Back then it was a popular, upward, liberal and illegal metropolis.

Herons are coastal, clean water, long-necked, long-legged birds that live year-round in South Florida, encompassing the Miami-Fort Lauderdale area. A heron’s symbolic meaning might vary slightly depending on where you look, from independence and perseverance to stability and equilibrium. Two Great White Herons are shown on the club’s crest, their legs intertwining to form the letter “M” in the Inter Miami club crest.

However, there’s a compelling case to be made, that no American team is enjoying more success than ‘The Herons’ after their stunning acquisition of eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi. Messi has elevated the game of Inter Miami both on and off the pitch, marketing and brand deals.

The team scarcely needed a publicity boost, considering that co-founder and co-owner David Beckham is a former star of Real Madrid and Manchester United. Beckham already had a good image to bring in brand deals. But to take the level of the game on the pitch, who better than Messi?

The club that everyone is talking about as the best right now in Major League Soccer is Messi’s Inter Miami. The Herons further strengthened the squad with the arrivals of Luis Suarez, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets, the former colleagues of FC Barcelona.

The world has discovered in the past few weeks, if it wasn’t already aware, that Inter Miami plays its home games at the DRV PNK Arena and that its primary title is ‘The Herons’.

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The fervent fan base of Inter Miami, Vice City 1896, which is renowned for its hardcore, boisterous and vocal support section, is also alluded to in the nickname. The colour scheme of Inter Miami perfectly captures Miami as seen by their fan base.

The two sides of Miami are reflected in the striking juxtaposition of bright pink and jet black: the vibrant, nonstop party that everyone is accustomed to seeing and the gritty, darker image that the group refers to as the city’s “B” side, which refers to the immoral parts of the city, especially of the 1980s.

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