Inter Miami acquires Morgan and Trapp
Inter Miami’s roster grew to 26 players on Friday with the transfer of winger Lewis Morgan from the Scottish Premiership team Celtic and a trade with the Columbus Crew for U.S. national team midfielder Wil Trapp.
Morgan, 23, will occupy an international roster slot and join preseason training camp pending receipt of his International Transfer Certificate and P-1 Visa. The transfer fee amount was undisclosed, but Scottish news reports said it was in the neighborhood of $300,000 to $400,000.
Trapp , 27, came through a trade in which Inter Miami will send $100,000 in General Allocation Money and an international roster slot to the Crew. Columbus could receive added compensation if Trapp meets certain performance-based goals.
Morgan made 31 appearances for Celtic in the past two seasons and spent the second half of last season on loan at Sunderland in England.
“Lewis is an exciting player that will contribute to our attack,” Inter Miami sporting director Paul McDonough said. “He is a pacey and dynamic player who operates well in space. He has shown his quality in Scotland and in England and we’re happy to acquire him.”
Trapp played seven seasons for the Crew and helped guide the team to four playoff runs, including the 2015 MLS Cup final. He was an MLS All-Star in 2016 and has played 18 games for the U.S. national team.
“Wil is one of the most respected leaders in American soccer,” McDonough said. “He has served as captain at both the club and international levels and fits the culture we are building here in South Florida. Wil is also a topclass midfielder with established success in the MLS.”
With the European Transfer Window about to close late Friday night, Inter Miami and other clubs in Europe and the Americas were busy negotiating deals. Inter Miami coach Diego Alonso said he expects to add players to camp in the next few weeks.
Inter Miami executives have promised they will add two higher-priced Designated Players among their five remaining roster spots. McDonough has stressed all along that he is more concerned with having a winning team than the celebrity status of its players, but he acknowledged that the Miami market has high expectations and that “a few special players” are in the plans.
Among the Europebased players linked to Inter Miami in recent weeks are Edinson Cavani (Paris Saint Germain), David Silva (Manchester City) and Pedro (Chelsea). Mexico-based players who reportedly had talks with Miami include Rogelio
Funes Mori, Rodolfo Pizarro, and Dorlan Pabon, who played for Alonso at Monterrey.
Morgan joined Celtic in January 2018, making his debut later that year in a UEFA Champions League qualifying match against Alashkert Yerevan. He played in seven Champions League matches and eight UEFA Europa League matches. He had two Champions League assists and two Europa League goals for the team.
He has filled in as a striker for a number of important matches including the Scottish
League Cup final, which Celtic won 1-0. Morgan spent the second half of the 2018-19 season on loan at Sunderland AFC where he made 22 appearances. He tallied two goals and four assists for the club including a crucial goal that helped the team reach the EFL Trophy final.
Morgan began his professional career at Saint Mirren Football Club in Scotland after years in the Rangers Football Club Academy. At St. Mirren, Morgan scored 18 goals and had 13 assists across all competitions in the 2017-18 season. In total, he made 118 appearances for the club, totaling 29 goals and 23 assists.
Morgan has played twice for Scotland, making his debut in a 2018 friendly against Peru. He made his second appearance a few days later, appearing in a friendly against Mexico. He also played nine matches with Scotland’s U-21 team.
Inter Miami wrapped up training in Port St. Lucie on Friday, and is headed to Bradenton until Feb. 6, before returning to Fort Lauderdale. The team has closed-door scrimmages planned for Feb. 7 against the Charleston Battery and Feb. 12 against New York City FC. Preseason games in St. Petersburg against Philadelphia Union (Feb. 15, 4 p.m.) and Tampa Bay Rowdies (Feb. 22, 7 p.m.) are free and open to the public.
The team’s road uniform will be revealed Thursday in New York along with all the other new MLS 2020 uniforms. The event is called FORWARD25 Jersey Reveal, part of the league’s 25th anniversary celebration. Inter Miami’s home uniform will be revealed in the next few weeks.
and scored for Pittsburgh. Jarry, fresh of his first All-Star appearance, stopped 27 shots for the Penguins.
ELSEWHERE
Capitals: Superstar Alexander Ovechkin potted a second-period goal against Ottawa Friday, giving him 36 this season and career No. 694 to tie
Mark Messier for eighth place on the all-time goalscoring list.
Ovechkin has scored at least one goal in five consecutive games.
Sharks: San Jose AllStar forward Tomas Hertl will undergo knee surgery and be out for the rest of the season.
Hertl scored five goals in the All-Star Game last week but injured his knee in the first period of Wednesday’s 5-2 loss to Vancouver. Hertl has 16 goals and 36 points.