Inter Miami CF signs Brek Shea

Signing of Shea gives team greater experience, options

Inter Miami CF has signed Major League Soccer veteran and former U.S. Men’s National Team defender/midfielder Brek Shea, the club announced Thursday.

Shea, who’s been with Inter Miami’s USL League One — Fort Lauderdale CF — since March, will be available for the MLS is Back Tournament. Inter Miami is scheduled to play in the tournament’s opening match against Orlando City SC on July 8 at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando.

“Brek is a player we know very well from previous MLS experiences that brings a lot of attacking threat and defensive solidity,” Inter Miami CF Chief Operating Officer and sporting director Paul

McDonough said in a news release. “He has been training and recovering from an injury, showing he is in his regular form and able to contribute to the first team.”

Shea has 10 years of MLS experience, previously playing for FC Dallas, Orlando City SC, Vancouver Whitecaps FC and Atlanta United FC after being the No. 2 draft pick out of high school in the 2008 MLS SuperDraft.

After five seasons with FC Dallas, he signed with English Premier League team Stoke City in January 2013. Shea struggled to receive playing time with Stoke City and was loaned to FC Barnsley and Birmingham City for the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons, respectively.

He signed with Orlando City — where

McDonough was the general manager — in December 2014 ahead of its inaugural MLS campaign, playing 46 games across two seasons before being traded to the Vancouver Whitecaps in 2017. Shea played 56 games for the Whitecaps before signing with Atlanta United for the 2019 season.

“I’m excited to be here,” Shea said. “Nothing can take away the first year. This is the first year of the club and I’m excited to be part of that. I’ll always be a part of that.

“You look around the stadium and the training grounds — to have all this before you even play a game, it shows the club is willing to really do it right.”

Shea’s 2019 season was cut short after he tore the ACL in his right knee in a game against the Seattle Sounders last July. He has been recovering at the Inter Miami CF Training Center and is fully healthy to play.

“Coming off this injury, I want to get back and be healthy and be available each game,” he said. “For me, it’s just start small and then work from there.

“To be healthy is a big part of that to help contribute as much as I can. Since the day I arrived the club has been a big help, helping me slowly come back into training with the USL squad, using the facilities to strengthen everything and get ready for the season.”

In addition to his MLS experience, Shea made 31 appearances and scored four goals for the national team from 2010-15 and was a part of the team that won the 2013 Concacaf Gold Cup.

“He’s a left-footed player who plays on the wing and has a good physical profile,” Inter Miami coach Diego Alonso said of Shea. “He is also a versatile player who offers you various possibilities.

“He has played a long time, not only as a winger but also as a wingback. This also allows us to change our formation with him on the field and allows us to have more options at the tactical level and more options in the choice of footballers.

“It gives us peace of mind when we know that we have a player with experience in the league that gives us more depth in the squad so we can have more options.”

INTER MIAMI CF/COURTESY