Tag Archive for: InterMiami

Shawcross and Gregore Sign for Inter Miami

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Both Ryan Shawcross and Gregore de Magalhães da Silva are on their way to South Florida ahead of the 2021 MLS Season. Inter Miami CF announced both signings this week (on Feb. 20 and Feb 24, respectively), and the roster under Phil Neville is beginning to take shape.

It has not been reported how long Ryan Shawcross has been signed for, but for Gregore, it’s a 4-year deal with an option in the fifth.

When it comes to money, it seems as though Shawcross’s deal falls under the normal salary budget. Gregore’s contract will join Blaise Matuidi’s and Leandro Gonzalez Pirez’s under the club’s Targeted Allocation Money. Both Shawcross and Gregore will also take up international roster slots.

Is Shawcross the Starter?

It would be tough to argue that a long-time Premier League veteran, long-time Stoke City captain at just 33-years old, could NOT be the starter, but I’m here to do just that.

However, this argument relies on the Phill Neville variable and how he will use players after seeing them for 6 weeks in training camp. He specifically referred to Jorge Figal as a right-back in his introductory press conference a couple of weeks back, and if that does end up being the case, this argument is fully invalid.

If Figal is to be seen as a center-back, though, there’s no reason for Shawcross to be used as anything but cover and depth behind an LGP/Figal center-back partnership.

It’s not to say that I don’t believe Ryan Shawcross is an excellent defender who possesses highly valuable leadership qualities that are hard to come by, but there are other things at play here.

Shawcross has only played 247 minutes of first-team football for Stoke, dating back to March of 2020, and a large part of it has to do with injury.

shawcross injury

Given this injury history and lack of minutes in professional games, saying that 6 weeks of preseason may not be enough is an understatement.

There is absolutely no reason for him to be forced on as the starter especially given his age and unfamiliarity with the league. There is also no pressure for him to perform like a starter right away because this is not what would be considered a “big-money signing.” Remember, not a DP, not using TAM or GAM on him, no special MLS rules. Just a simple signing under the normal salary budget. Oh, and it was a free transfer.

Down the line, Shawcross’s value will come from subbing on late in games to hold the lead, veteran presence, his starts for when LGP and Figal are either injured or suspended, etc.

If he is to come from England and get out of the MLS pre-season in TIP-TOP shape, then sure, maybe he’s the starter. But I don’t see him being fully fit for 90 minutes in an MLS match by the middle of April. I also look forward to being proven wrong.

Neville’s Midfield with Gregore

Until Matuidi came in, Inter Miami’s midfield being run by Victor Ulloa and Wil Trapp was a borderline disaster. The backline seemed to have had no protection, and the pair could not help transition the ball from the defense to their attackers up top. Bringing in Matuidi helped a ton, but unfortunately, Trapp nor Ulloa was good enough or consistent enough to solidify themselves as Blaise’s partner.

With the expectation that Phil Neville will try to run his favored 4-3-3 formation or a variation of it, Matuidi is definitely going to need help in the middle of the pitch. Signing Gregore for a reported $4 million and using TAM on him is worth it.

Gregore is an all-around defensive midfielder who excels at winning the ball in the middle of the pitch. He will provide the backline a ton of protection with his ball-winning skills and ability to read the game well. His tackling is outstanding; No nonsense, get stuck in style, and puts 100% behind winning the ball all the time.

He also will relieve Matuidi of a ton of defensive duties. He’s so good at covering the back that Matuidi will now be able to drive forward (comfortably, with protection) as a playmaker alongside Pizarro out of the midfield.

Gregore short passing ability is also good enough that he will be able to provide service of the ball from the backline to the attackers. He’s not shy to get forward when he needs to, and he possesses the quality to score a banger every once in a while.

I see Gregore starting as many games as he is possibly fit for, and right away. You needed a midfield pairing for Matuidi before, and now even more so in a Neville style 4-3-3. Way to get your man, Chris Henderson.

Overall

Both signings were very, very good for Inter Miami. Shawcross on a relatively small deal for what he could provide and one of, if not the best midfielders in Brazil over on a deal that doesn’t cost you a DP slot but will turn out to produce like one.

Shawcross and Gregore have bolstered the squad tremendously, but I don’t think that the Front Office is quite done making moves. Expect more before pre-season.

Inter Miami returning to training in Fort Lauderdale

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The return of Inter Miami CF is closer than ever as the club announced this afternoon that they have received approval from Major League Soccer to begin full team training as early as this week.

 

The MLS debutants played only two matches to kick off their inaugural campaign and were on the heels of making their much-anticipated home debut versus the Los Angeles Galaxy prior to MLS, and the rest of the sports world shut down due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

 

MLS lifted the team training moratorium on June 4 and Inter Miami was one of the first clubs to release their plans to return to training with a comprehensive explanation of procedures which highlighted all of the main points in helping both stop contamination and keeping athletes and staff members safe as they returned to training.

 

Before sending their plans to MLS, Inter Miami CF had to have its plans approved by the Club’s medical staff and local infectious disease experts.

 

According to MLS, “A strict schedule of COVID-19 testing will also be required, and full team training is mandatory after previously being in the phase for voluntary small group training.”

 

On May 6, players began to slowly return as part of the voluntary individual training sessions, but now the club has the green light to return to full team training at Inter Miami CF Training Center.

 

Inter Miami CF will now begin preparations for their return to the pitch as MLS has also agreed on a summer return in late-June with a Tournament in Orlando with three group games and a 16-team knockout round.

 

MLS to Restart after New CBA Reached

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After reaching a deal on a new CBA in February, MLS and the MLSPA due to the global pandemic were forced to make revisions as circumstances changed drastically. An original deadline to reach the agreement was mid-day Tuesday, but luckily was postponed another 24 hours. With a lockout looming, MLS players and owners were forced to reach a deal that included the reduction of player income, and a plan to restart the season.

Money Cuts

Negotiations between the Player’s Association and owners about salaries started and ended in drastically different places. It has been reported that owners were originally looking to have player salaries cut by 50%. It was later talked down to 8.75%, then an agreed 7.5%, but continued to drop. Sources state that the new deal reached yesterday morning have only reduced player salaries by 5%.

Players also took a reduction on their cut of the new broadcast deal set to begin in 2023. Originally, players were set to take 25% in 2023, but instead that percentage will be cut in half. However, in 2024 and 2025, the revenue share will return back from the 12.5% to 25%. Team and bonus funds have also been reduced to a $5 million pool. $1 million of those funds will be allocated towards the upcoming Orlando Tournament as prize winnings.

The Disney Cup

Returning to play was extremely important in this new deal. A lockout during a time like this would be devastating for the league financially. With the plan to start a summer tournament in Orlando at the ESPN Wide World of Sports, a product will be put back on the pitch, something MLS fans haven’t witnessed since March 12th.

The plan is to have teams arrive in Orlando in about three weeks, and begin play at the beginning of July. It is reported that each team will play a minimum of three games. Each side will have the results of these three games counted towards their 2020 regular season standings.

In what seems to be a World Cup style format, the first three games will determine what 16 teams will move on to a knockout tournament. One team will host a new trophy, and might even take the entire $1 million prize pool. It is unclear how the money will be dispersed.

What Does this Mean for Inter Miami?

With all of this time off players were given a rest period like no other. Inter Miami are set to benefit from this time off with Julian Carranza returning from injury. The club had posted pictures of him back in training on their social media accounts. The team’s goal scoring in the first two games was almost non-existent (only recording one goal), and Carranza could come into Orlando looking to fix that.

Inter Miami being a new team in the league were destined to face adversity in the beginning stages of their inaugural season. Recording zero points in two games is never ideal. But, with every MLS team essentially starting from square one, being an expansion team in a circumstance like this gives a level playing field. The first three games in Orlando will be extremely important so look for Inter Miami to capitalize and boost their 2020 record.

Inter Miami Target $15m Striker in Early MLS Show of Strength

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The day of reckoning is closing in.

Very soon South Florida will finally have the MLS soccer side it has been craving.

There have been firm plans in place for a soccer team in Miami since early 2012 when MLS commissioner Don Garber confirmed the league’s interest in placing an expansion franchise in the city. David Beckham coming on board certainly helped smooth the process and as recently as December a new manager has been selected for the team.

CNN reported that former Uruguayan international Diego Alonso will take charge for their opening fixtures, the first of which comes away against Los Angeles FC. Beckham’s former club LA Galaxy is the first opponents at the Lockhart Stadium on March 14th.

Miami’s name takes inspiration from that of Italian side Inter Milan. Their full title is Football Club Internazionale Milano, whereas Miami’s full title is Club Internacional de Fútbol Miami, but the similarity between the names by which their known is recognizable. Like the major teams in Europe, Miami are now involved in transfer rumors and speculation.

With the squad already firmly in place, they are now looking to add a marquee signing to their ranks to help further boost their profile. They have already added two exciting young players via the first draft; with one, Robbie Robinson, having scored 24 goals in 47 appearances for Clemson Tigers. He represents real potential for the future of the U.S. National side.

Drafts are not something Europe is familiar with, but transfer speculation is, and this winter Inter Miami are involved in their fair share of chatter. Across in Europe, several major players are looking to move with Inter Milan keenly involved in a transfer tussle; bwin reported how the Italian giants are favorites to sign Danish star Christian Eriksen as they challenge for the title in Italy. The fee is thought to be around the €15m mark ($13m), the sort of fee that Miami are also being linked with spending.

They’re not likely to attract top European talent like Eriksen, yet, but it is suggested they might loan Celtic youngster Lewis Morgan. As well as that, they’re also being touted as a possible destination for Roger Martinez. MLS Soccer reports that he could be the subject of a $15m swoop ahead of the new season.

The 25-year-old is currently playing in Mexico with Club América where he’s hit 12 goals in 56 games, coming off the back of a loan spell in Spain with Villarreal. He’s a Colombian international too, having played 18 times for his country. He’s scored twice, once against Haiti but also getting the winner in a famous 1-0 victory against Argentina in this year’s Copa America.

There’s little doubt both targets are a real show of strength from Miami. Lewis Morgan is a hot prospect in Scotland and plays for arguably one of the biggest clubs in Europe in Celtic. If they could attract him, an exciting young prospect with international ambitions, it would send a signal to the rest of the MLS.

Not quite as much as a swoop for Martinez would. He’s a player that would undoubtedly be one of their key men and who could give them hope of some level of success in their inaugural MLS season.

Meet Inter Miami’s Three Newest Players

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Inter Miami CF have been busy the last 48 hours when it comes to bringing players down to South Beach, or Fort Lauderdale for now. They’ve gone on to acquire three players as well as  the first pick in Stage 1 of MLS Re-Entry draft. Victor Ulloa, Drake Callender, and Jay Chapman have all been acquired as we are now starting to see a real roster being built leading up to the Expansion Draft.

Victor Ulloa, a defensive midfielder who has been in the league since 2011, makes his way from FC Cincinnati by way of trade to Inter Miami. Ulloa has had a very respectable career in the MLS as his long tenure in Toronto earned him over 150 games played. At 27, he is, for now, the oldest player on the roster, as well as the one with the most MLS experience by miles, so the  club will be looking at him to bring that veteran presence as he commands the midfield. 

Inter then acquired homegrown rights to Drake Callender, a goalkeeper who currently is playing at the University of California. Inter did give away a second round pick in the 2020 MLS Superdraft for him, so there’s a lot to be told about his talent. He’s kept 15 clean sheets in 52 games for his school, been with the San Jose Earthquakes academy for 6 years, and he also received an invitation to the US’s U-23 training camp in September. His homegrown rights being with Inter are important as the club looks to build for now as well as the future, but still look for that first choice keeper to come along either in the Expansion Draft or later.

And most recently, Jay Chapman is headed over to Miami from Toronto FC. At 25 years old, Chapman has earned himself a couple of international appearances with the Canadian National team, and is now being brought over from the MLS Runners-up to take up a central-midfield role. Chapman and Ulloa will be the only two players so far that are coming straight from an MLS side. They’ll both be joining David Norman Jr. as the first couple of players with league experience.  

These three, Ulloa, Callender, and Chapman, are the final players coming into the team until the MLS Expansion Draft on November 19th. Waivers and free agency will commence six days later, and of course then the international transfer market window will open on January 1st. There’s a lot to look forward to as an Inter supporter with the incoming players, the building progression of the clubs first home at Lockhart, and then the first home game being announced (vs. LA Galaxy, March 14). The start of Miami’s first MLS side is in full swing.