Captain Robles, forward Agudelo among players not retained for ’21
The postseason purge has begun for Inter Miami, the team that launched with so much hype and promise but fell short of expectations, finishing 10th in the Eastern Conference and crashing out of the playoffs with a 3-0 loss to fellow expansion club Nashville SC.
Inter Miami on Thursday announced year-end roster decisions ahead of the 2021 season. In addition to 17 players already under contract, one player option was exercised, eight player options were declined and four players are out of contract. Conversations regarding the return of certain players, including defender Andrés
Reyes, are ongoing.
Veteran forward Juan Agudelo and team captain/goalkeeper Luis Robles were among the players whose options were not picked up. Robles, the 36-year-old goalkeeper, had his season cut short when he broke his arm on Oct. 4 and required surgery.
Below is a breakdown of Inter Miami’s roster decisions.
Players with guaranteed contracts (already under contract) for 2021: George Acosta, Drake Callender, Julián Carranza, Jay Chapman, Nicolás Figal, Leandro González Pirez, Gonzalo Higuaín, Christian Makoun, Blaise Matuidi, Lewis Morgan, Dylan Nealis, Matías Pellegrini, Rodolfo Pizarro, Robbie Robinson, Ben Sweat, Victor Ulloa, Jairo Quinteros (who will spend the remainder of 2020 on loan with Bolivian team Club Bolivar).
Contract options exercised: John McCarthy
Contract options declined: Mikey Ambrose, Jerome Kiesewetter, David Norman Jr., Alvas Powell, Andrés Reyes, Denso Ulysse, Agudelo and Robles.
Out of contract: A.J. DeLaGarza, Federico Higuaín, Brek Shea, Wil Trapp.
2021 Inter Miami roster (as of Dec. 3):
Goalkeepers (2):
●
Drake Callender, John McCarthy.
Defenders (6): Nico
● lás Figal, Leandro González Pirez, Christian Makoun, Dylan Nealis, Ben Sweat, Jairo Quinteros.
Midfielders (7):
●
George Acosta, Jay Chapman, Blaise Matuidi, Lewis Morgan, Matías Pellegrini, Rodolfo Pizarro, Victor Ulloa.
Forwards (3): Julián
●
Carranza, Gonzalo Higuaín, Robbie Robinson.
Club management and coach Diego Alonso will use the offseason to try to build a more cohesive team with a clear identity. Alonso was hired on Dec. 30, 2019, just weeks before training camp started. He was new to the league, inherited players the club had signed before his arrival, and three of the team’s best players — Gonzalez Pirez, Matuidi and Gonzalo Higuain — were not signed until July, August and September.
Alonso, who always put a positive spin on things, frequently noted that the team would have finished with a better record if it had all its pieces in place earlier.
Of the 13 MLS veterans who were signed before the inaugural season, only Ulloa, McCarthy, Chapman and Sweat remain on the roster. Agudelo, Ambrose, Powell and Robles had their options declined. De La Garza, Trapp and Shea are out of contract. Lee Nguyen and Roman Torres were traded during the season.
The players no longer on the roster could re-negotiate with Inter Miami, become free agents if they are at least 24 years old and have played five years in the league, join a team through the re-entry draft or join Austin FC through the Expansion Draft if they are not on any team’s protected list. The Austin American Statesman reported on Wednesday that Agudelo is a player who might interest Austin FC.
De La Garza, who won three MLS Cups with the Los Angeles Galaxy, was asked after the loss at
Nashville to summarize Miami’s inaugural season.
“We disappointed the fans,” De La Garza said. “This wasn’t good enough, from the first game to the last game. Hopefully, the fans will stick with us and they’ll understand 2020 was not a normal year. We’ve got nobody to blame but ourselves. I think a lot of guys could say they didn’t live up to what they came here to do, unfortunately.
“We have to go into the offseason feeling like that, and no matter who is here next year I’m confident the people on this team and people running it are doing the right things. We have to keep our heads up and move forward.”
Team co-owners Jorge Mas and David Beckham, and COO/Sporting Director Paul McDonough, have not been available for comment since the end of the season.
Inter Miami lost 3-0 to fellow expansion club Nashville SC on Nov. 20 in the MLS Playoff Play-In round and finished with a 7-13-3 record.
The roster moves kick off a month of roster maneuvering throughout the league.
Here are key dates:
Dec. 13 (the day after MLS Cup final): Clubs may move players during a HalfDay Trade Window from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Also, deadline for clubs to exercise options.
Dec. 14: List of eligible players for the 2020 MLS Expansion Draft and the Free Agent List will be announced.
Dec. 15: In the MLS Expansion Draft, Austin FC may select up to five players from the eligible player list and no more than one from any team. Teams which lost players to Inter Miami and Nashville SC in the 2019 Expansion Draft are exempt.
Dec. 16: Free Agency Opens. Out-of-contract players and option-declined players who are at least 24 years old and have completed five years are eligible.