Roster shake-up begins: 10 contracts declined
The postseason roster shake-up has begun for Inter Miami, the team that launched with so much hype and promise but fell short of expectations for the second year in a row, finishing 11th in the Eastern Conference and out of the playoffs.
Inter Miami on Monday announced year-end roster decisions ahead of the 2022 season. The club declined the contract options of 10 players, including midfielder Jay Chapman, midfielder Victor Ulloa, goalkeeper John McCarthy and defender Kelvin Leerdam.
Forward Indiana Vassilev and winger Brek Shea are out of contract.
It is possible a few of those players could return, as conversations are ongoing to renegotiate new contracts. Last offseason, Shea and Federico Higuain were out of contract but came back under new terms.
Below is a breakdown of Inter Miami’s roster decisions.
Players with guaranteed contracts for 2022:
Edison Azcona, Drake
Callender, Julián Carranza, Nico Figal, Ian Fray, Kieran Gibbs, Leandro González Pirez, Gregore, Gonzalo Higuaín, Joevin Jones, Christian Makoun, Nick Marsman, Blaise Matuidi, Lewis Morgan, Rodolfo Pizarro, Jairo Quinteros, Robbie Robinson, Ryan Shawcross, Felipe Valencia.
Contract options exercised: None.
Contract options declined: George Acosta, Ventura Alvarado, Dylan Castanheira, Jay Chapman, Sami Guediri, Kelvin Leerdam, John McCarthy, Josh Penn, Patrick Seagrist, Victor Ulloa.
Out of contract: Federico Higuaín (retired), Brek Shea, Indiana Vassilev.
Chapman and McCarthy posted farewell messages on social media.
Chapman wrote:
“Thank you Miami! Glad to have been one of the first to wear this jersey, all the best in the future.”
McCarthy posted: “Year 8 comes to an end. La familia and Inter Miami, all the best and thank you.”
It came as no surprise that the team is overhauling its roster. Despite having the league’s most expensive payroll at $17.8
million, the team has not lived up to expectations.
Miami is also facing hefty financial sanctions for the next two seasons after violating the league’s salary and roster guidelines during 2020 — prior to the arrival of coach Phil Neville and chief soccer officer/sporting director Chris Henderson. They must deal with a reduction of $2,271,250 in roster allocation dollars for 2022 and 2023.
Neville said big decisions are being made to upgrade the roster, make it “younger and fresher,” and fix some chemistry issues that permeated the locker room this season.
“Inter Miami would like to thank the players, coaches and staff for their work and contributions in the 2021 season,” said Henderson. “The club continues to work diligently to construct a team that will bring our incredible fans the success they deserve. We remain in conversations with several players about returning next year and aim to recruit exciting new talent that will help us achieve our goals.”
In addition to the moves announced Monday, Miami plans to let go of at least a few higher-priced players to compensate for the sanctions.
Gonzalo Higuain and Blaise Matuidi will be 34 at the start of next season. Both have a year left on their contracts, but their age and salaries make them difficult to sell.
Higuain is the league’s third-highest paid player in MLS at $5.79 million per year and Matuidi’s base salary is $1.5 million, but he reportedly makes nearly $4 million including image rights and other bonuses.
According to league sources, other clubs have shown interest in Miami’s younger standouts such as Pizarro ($3.35 million), González Pirez ($849,996), Figal ($630,000) and Morgan ($553,125). González Pirez confirmed that Vancouver approached him midseason, but Miami didn’t want to let him go and he wants to stay. Figal was pursued by Mexican club Tigres but no deal was made.
Pizarro has reportedly been approached by a few Mexican clubs about returning to LigaMX.
Brazilian media reported that Inter Miami has been in talks with midfielders Jean Mota of Santos and Raphael Veiga from Palmeiras. Mota is 28, Veiga is 26.
Among the long list of players Miami is researching is Norwegian-American defender Tomas Totland from Norwegian team Tromso.
Neville said he found the season-ending decisions excruciating.
“That is a situation I’ve never experienced in club football in Europe, where normally 99 percent of the squad are on long-term contracts and in control of their own destiny,” he said. “This league is totally different. Nothing can prepare you for that feeling, that look on somebody’s face; the emotion we’ve seen has been a learning experience.
“Today they could be in Miami, tomorrow they could be in L.A. That is pretty brutal. I’ve got unbelievable respect for MLS players. I think I would have struggled with that as a player. At Manchester United I was offered a four-year deal, and I asked for seven. Later I asked for another seven. It gave me stability. You can’t have that in this league.”