Signing a ‘no-brainer’ for Brazilian Gregore
For Gregore de Magalhães da Silva, joining Inter Miami CF wasn’t a decision that required a lot of thought.
Silva, a Brazilian defensive midfielder who goes by Gregore, said he became familiar with Major League Soccer two years ago when Chris Henderson — who was the Seattle Sounders’ vice president of soccer and sporting director at the time — expressed interest in bringing him to Seattle.
Once that contact was made, Gregore started to notice, “the level of the players coming to MLS.”
“I noticed the level was improving and it’s a growing league,” Gregore said through an interpreter.
He acknowledged it was a tough decision to leave his Brazilian club, Bahia, after three years with the team, but still: “When the opportunity arose to come to Inter Miami, it was a no-brainer.”
Gregore, who signed with Inter Miami in February and arrived in the U.S. in late March, started practicing with the team earlier in April and made his debut as a starter for the team in its 3-2 loss to the LA Galaxy Sunday at DRV PNK Stadium.
The match marked the first time Gregore had played for a non-Brazilian team since making his senior-career debut with Joseense in 2013.
“I was very impressed with the intensity of the game and the intensity of the players,” he said. “I just arrived and I’m still adapting to the new country, but I have positive thoughts on what’s to come.”
Inter Miami coach Phil Neville and the club as a whole think highly of Gregore.
“When I spoke to Gregore, the first thing that stood out was his personality,” Neville said. “The personality to want to improve, get better and want to come to Inter
Miami and not just be average.
“He wants to be an MVP, he wants to be the best midfielder player in the league and that straightaway was more important than any footage I saw. Anything I’ve seen or spoken to him about since he’s been absolute top draw. The scary thing is he’s got another 20-30 percent more in his development when he gets fitter in terms of match fitness.”
Gregore’s strong tackling, ball-hawking skills and ability to cover multiple areas of the field should make him a strong defensive complement next to Blaise Matuidi.
But Neville is hoping Gregore’s passing ability and comfort with the ball at his feet will help push the team in the attack.
“The coach is asking for me to be a little bit more dynamic and help my teammates in the creation of the game when we recover the ball,” Gregore said. “The rhythm here is a little bit more intense than what I’m used to, so I’m doing a lot of specific work with this coaching staff to get up to rhythm.
“My mentality is all about constant evolution [and] learning from everybody: the younger players, the older players, the coaching staff and the league.”