MIAMI (AP) — Don Garber remembers the earliest days of David Beckham's plans to bring Major League Soccer to Miami, the quest that started more than a dozen years ago.

There were twists. There were turns. Eventually, there was Lionel Messi, too.

But there was never Miami — until now.

“We believed in Miami,” Beckham said. “And Miami believed in us.”

Inter Miami finally played a game in its namesake city on Saturday night, hosting Austin FC after more than six years of calling Fort Lauderdale its home. Garber was there for the ribbon-cutting of Miami Freedom Park, a complex with construction still very much in progress and one that needed temporary approvals from civic officials just so Saturday's match could be held.

Beckham picked Miami as his spot in 2013, the league made it official in 2014 when he formally exercised his option for an expansion franchise, and now, there's a home.

“We made a commitment to him that he would have an option on the team, and he exercised that in Miami," Garber said. "And it was a journey. And that journey, in many ways, didn’t end when Leo Messi joined the club. The journey really came to its conclusion today with the opening of this building.”

The team says the stadium holds 26,700 seats. A public golf course near Miami International Airport was plowed under to make room for the stadium, and tons of construction equipment — from cranes to hard hats and everything in between — is still scattered all over the site. The lack of certain aesthetics didn't stop some fans from spending more than $1,000 on the resale markets for the best seats on Saturday, which was Inter Miami's first “home” match since winning last season's MLS Cup championship.

“It's a great day for the club,” Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano told Apple TV before the match. “It's our dream day."

By the time Messi came onto the field for warmups, most of the seats were filled. Beckham and the rest of Inter Miami's ownership group came out to applaud the fans moments earlier, even mingling with some in the most ardent supporters' section behind one of the goals. It was an event, with pink glow sticks being waved in the stands and music icon Marc Anthony performing “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

“There were times of trouble, you know, but David, he’s an optimist," Garber said. "I think he was an optimist as a player. Again, he’s got a lot of courage. You’ve seen that throughout his career. He has that same courage as a business person.”

Beckham is a global icon when it comes to soccer, entertainment and fashion — and in many ways, MLS changed forever when he came to the U.S. to play for the LA Galaxy. It was through that deal that he got the option for an expansion franchise, which ultimately meant Miami.

“When I came to America and the MLS 20 years ago, my dream was to win championships, help raise the game of soccer that I love so much and to build my own team,” Beckham said. “Thirteen years ago, I announced Miami was my choice. We had no name. We had no fans. We had no stadium. Today, I stand in our new home. We are champions of the MLS. We have the best player in the history of the game playing in Miami. Dreams really can come true.”

Beckham's celebrity level got things started. Messi put the team onto a global stage. And others now will try to replicate it — including Austin, which has actor and producer Matthew McConaughey as part of its ownership group.

McConaughey wrote an open letter of sorts to Beckham on Saturday.

"As Austin visits Miami today for a little shindig on your new pitch, I want to first shout out a sincere “

Much work remains, both in terms of finishing the construction, all the surrounding areas — the team has promised parks, soccer fields, retail shops and more as part of the complex — and there's still final certifications to obtain from various governmental agencies. Garber said he isn't worried about any of that affecting Inter Miami's home schedule going forward.

MLS gave Inter Miami several road matches to start the season, buying the team time to get closer to finishing construction. And though outside was a traffic nightmare, things seemed to go off without a hitch inside the stadium.

Garber said his initial assessment Saturday was that the stadium was “breathtaking.”

“What’s happened in the last 30 days to where they are today is just remarkable," Garber said. “It’s way further along than I expected it to be. And I’ve learned a lesson that when people tell you things are going to get done, sometimes you've just got to trust them.”

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

MIAMI (AP) — Jaylen Brown scored 43 points, Jayson Tatum had his first triple-double of the season and the Boston Celtics rode the strength of a record-setting first quarter to beat the Miami Heat 147-129 on Wednesday night.

Tatum finished with 25 points, 18 rebounds and 11 assists for Boston, which scored 53 points in the first quarter — a franchise record that tied the second-highest total for an opening quarter in NBA history. Sam Hauser added 23 for the Celtics, who are 31-0 when scoring at least 117 points this season and are 10-1 in their last 11 games following a loss.

The Celtics led by as many as 27, then saw the lead trimmed to as little as nine early in the fourth quarter. Boston (51-25) holds the No. 2 spot in the Eastern Conference race, four games behind No. 1 Detroit.

Bam Adebayo had 29 points and 10 rebounds for Miami, which tied a franchise record by hitting 24 3-pointers. The Heat made 24 on three other occasions.

Davion Mitchell scored 21, while Tyler Herro and Pelle Larsson each scored 18 and Jaime Jaquez Jr. added 17 for the Heat (40-37).

Miami remained in the No. 10 spot in the East play-in race. The Heat are a half-game behind No. 8 Orlando and No. 9 Charlotte, teams both with 40-36 records.

The Celtics made 11 of their first 13 shots on the way to the sizzling start, then closed the first quarter on a 24-3 run that turned a one-point deficit into a 20-point lead — and that burst came in just over four minutes.

Boston's lead was 80-57 at halftime and the Celtics scored the first four points of the second half to push the margin to 27.

Up next

Celtics: Visit Milwaukee on Friday.

Heat: Host Washington on Saturday.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

MIAMI (AP) — The Boston Celtics had a first quarter like none other in their storied history.

The Celtics scored 53 points — their biggest-scoring first quarter ever — in the opening 12 minutes of their game against the Miami Heat on Wednesday night.

Boston's barrage is tied for the second-highest-scoring first quarter in NBA regular-season history. Golden State had a 55-point opening quarter at Portland on April 9, 2023, and Miami had a 53-point opening quarter against Charlotte on Nov. 7.

It was the second-most points Boston has scored in a quarter; the Celtics had 54 in the fourth period of a game against the San Diego Clippers on Feb. 25, 1970. And it was the most points Miami ever allowed in any quarter; the Heat gave up 50 in the fourth quarter of a game at Seattle on Jan. 5, 1990.

Boston made 11 3-pointers in the opening quarter, with Sam Hauser going 5 for 5 from beyond the arc while playing all 12 minutes. Jaylen Brown had 20 points by himself in the quarter — the ninth 20-point quarter of his career, including playoffs — and Hauser finished with 17.

Boston led 53-33 at the end of the quarter, after shooting 20 for 28 from the field and 11 for 15 from 3-point range.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba