South Florida Sun-Sentinel Palm Beach (Sunday)
Roster construction an ongoing process
With free agency continuing and the SuperDraft just 2 weeks away, expect more moves to be made
Despite the uncertainty Major League Soccer is facing with its invoking of the force majeure clause in the CBA, teams continue to construct their rosters for the 2021 season.
And Inter Miami CF has experienced its share of roster reshuffling since free agency started three weeks ago.
The club re-signed defender/ midfielder Brek Shea, made a trade with the New York Red Bulls for defender Patrick Seagrist and signed 15-year-old academy product Felipe Valencia to a homegrown deal.
Inter Miami also lost defender Mikey Ambrose and midfielder Wil Trapp in free agency. Center back Andres Reyes also isn’t expected to return to Inter Miami after his purchase option for 2021 wasn’t picked up. SBI Soccer reported A.J. DeLaGarza will sign with the New England Revolution.
With free agency ongoing and the 2021 SuperDraft taking place in two weeks, here are the positions Inter Miami may address during the remainder of the offseason:
Left winger
From Matias Pellegrini to Rodolfo Pizarro to Shea and Juan Agudelo, there was a revolving door of players who saw time as the left winger for Inter Miami in 2020.
Pellegrini started at the left wing in six of Inter Miami’s first seven games, but the 20-year-old had a difficult time finding his footing during his first year in the league and fluctuated between being a starter (six games), sub (six games) or unused sub (four games) in the team’s final 16 matches.
Agudelo, who scored three goals in 14 matches (nine starts) for Inter Miami in 2020, had his option for 2021 declined by the club — though that doesn’t completely rule out him returning to the team for next season.
Pizarro recorded four goals and five assists in 19 appearances (17 starts) for Inter Miami but was mainly used as the team’s central attacking midfielder. Shea scored four goals in 13 appearances (six starts) after signing with Inter Miami in June.
Finding a reliable and consistent attacking presence on the left wing will be crucial for Inter Miami, with its system prioritizing attack from out wide.
After Lewis Morgan recorded five goals and eight assists in 23 starts from the right wing in 2020, Inter Miami will need a better attacking balance in 2021.
Left back
With Ambrose leaving Inter Miami in free agency for Atlanta United FC and the club trading Ben Sweat to expansion team Austin FC last month, Inter Miami lost both of the players who started at left back last year.
It addressed this hole in the roster with the signing of Seagrist, but whether he’ll be a game-togame starter isn’t clear.
After recording six goals and 16 assists as a defender during his four years at Marquette before being a first-round pick in the 2020 SuperDraft, Seagrist started in the Red Bulls’ first two matches before only making an appearance — and starting — in one more match for the remainder of the season.
Shea could also play left back. Although he’s shown a good skill set by providing overlapping runs and sending quality crosses in the attack, Shea hasn’t been a consistent, game-to-game starter in a few years.
Goalkeeper
While John McCarthy did a solid job in goal in the team’s final eight games after Luis Robles’ season-ending arm injury, it wouldn’t be surprising if Inter Miami added another goalkeeper to its roster.
It was linked to Manchester United goalkeeper Sergio Romero, and Danish outlet Tipsbladet reported that Inter Miami is one of the clubs interested in 31-year-old Everton goalkeeper Jonas Lossi.
Robles retired after his option for 2021 was declined, leaving McCarthy and Drake Callender as the lone goalkeepers on the Inter Miami roster.
Others that could be addressed
Right back: With Reyes no longer with Inter Miami, expect for Nico Figal to start at his natural position of center back — which leaves an opening as the team’s starting right back.
Defensive midfielder: Trapp started alongside Blaise Matuidi as the team’s defensive midfielders in Inter Miami’s final nine matches.
While Victor Ulloa could step back up into a starting role, there may be better fits at the No. 6 spot next to Matuidi.