Alonso’s status unclear as COO McDonough departs
Inter Miami has undergone quite a bit of change since its early exit from the playoffs three weeks ago. It remains to be seen if coach Diego Alonso’s job is secure, or if there will be more housecleaning.
The club announced Wednesday night that COO and sporting director Paul McDonough was stepping down. Last week, the team declined the contract options of eight players, including captain/ goalkeeper Luis Robles and forward Juan Agudelo. Four MLS veterans were left out of contracts — Wil Trapp, Brek Shea, A.J. De La Garza and Federico Higuain.
McDonough brought in all those players stressing the importance of MLS leadership on the roster. Two other MLS veterans — Roman Torres and Lee Nguyen — were traded earlier in the season.
It is unknown if the departure of McDonough will affect Alonso’s job security.
Alonso was hired Dec. 30, 2019, just three weeks before training camp and after much of the roster had been signed. Three of the team’s top players — Leandro Gonzalez Pirez, Blaise Matuidi and Gonzalo Higuain — did not join the club until summer. Gonzalez Pirez came in July, Matuidi in August and Higuain in September.
The club launch drew worldwide attention, partly because it is co-owned by soccer icon David Beckham, and because Miami is a global destination. Beckham and coowner Jorge Mas had big dreams and high expectations, as did the passionate fan base, and the ownership group spared no expense.
They spent close to
$100 million on the training facility and temporary stadium in Fort Lauderdale and signed one of the league’s most expensive rosters. Higuain, at $ 7 million a year, is the highest-paid player.
Despite the investments, the team finished 10th of 14 teams in the Eastern Conference and crashed out of the playoffs with a
3-0 loss to fellow-expansion club Nashville SC.
Alonso, a Uruguayan who had success in the Mexican league, had no experience in MLS, so he was learning as the season progressed. He faced the same obstacles many foreign coaches face when they join the league, as they need time to become
familiar with the players, the complex business structure and culture.
Both teams in the MLS Cup final on Saturday are coached by Americans — Brian Schmetzer of the Seattle Sounders and Caleb Porter of the Columbus Crew.
Of the four teams that made the MLS Cup semi
finals this year, three were coached by Americans — Schmetzer, Porter, and Bruce Arena (New England Revolution). The fourth, Minnesota United, is coached by Adrian Heath, a native of England who has been in the United States since 2011.
Heath coached Orlando City’s USL team from 2011-14, then stayed with the club in 2015-16 when it joined MLS, and then moved to Minnesota.
“It’s never easy being a foreign coach in a league,” said U.S. national team coach Gregg Berhalter, who coached the Crew in MLS and in Sweden from 2011-13. “Knowing the player pool is really important. It really comes down to reaching the players that you work with. You have to be able to connect with your group to get the most out of it. MLS is really balanced. If you don’t have your group fighting together, it’s going to be really tough to win games.
“If you can win in MLS, you can win anywhere. It’s a great league to coach in because it’s really difficult with all the parity.
“If you can have a consistent team that’s making the playoffs and winning, you’re doing a fantastic job.”
That, surely, is Alonso’s goal. Time will tell if he gets that chance.