Argentine back on the way to aid Inter Miami defense
Inter Miami was trounced 4-0 by the New York Red Bulls last weekend and has given up nine goals in five games, a concern for coach Tata Martino despite the team’s sitting near the top of the MLS standings early in the season.
Martino has been stressing that signing a right back is a priority since DeAndre Yedlin was traded to FC Cincinnati on March 4. Julian Gressel, David Ruiz and Robert Taylor have been used as stopgaps in recent games, but a natural right back is on the way.
Marcelo “Chelo” Weigandt, a 24-year-old Argentine, will join Inter Miami on loan from Boca Juniors through December, according to league sources and Argentine media. An announcement is expected by the end of this week.
If his visa paperwork is completed in a hurry, there is a chance he could make his debut on Saturday in Miami’s home game against New York City FC. If not, the aim would be to have him ready for the Champions Cup quarterfinal first leg at home against the Mexican club Monterrey.
Weigandt renewed his contract with Boca Juniors until December 2027, and the club is lending him to Miami without a fee or purchase option, according to the TyC media outlet in Argentina.
If the player is sold after the first year with Inter Miami, Boca will keep 70 percent of the money and Miami will keep 30 percent.
ESPN Argentina caught up with Weigandt at the Buenos Aires airport as he was leaving for Miami.
“I’m very happy and grateful to the people of Boca, also to Tata Martino and the people of Inter Miami,” Weigandt said. “I’m looking forward to it. It’s a goodbye, but I’m very happy that the fans supported me. Playing with [Lionel] Messi is everyone’s dream. I am very happy.”
“I tried to give everything on the field, to show that I am just another fan, and I will continue to support them. MLS is a competitive league that is growing. I am very grateful that they have taken notice of me.”
Weingandt has played more than 100 games for club and country.
He will be the seventh Argentine on the Inter Miami roster, joining Lionel Messi, Tomas Aviles, Nico Freire, Fede Redondo, Franco Negri and Facundo Farias, who is out with a seasonending injury. Martino is also from Argentina.