South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Sunday)
Backline bull of the woods
Desision to acquire Gonzalez Pirez a ‘no-brainer’, COO says
For Paul McDonough, the decision to bring Leandro Gonzalez Pirez back stateside and sign the star center back to Inter Miami CF was a “nobrainer.”
Inter Miami’s COO and sporting director is very familiar with what the 28-year-old Argentine defender brings to the table. McDonough was Atlanta United FC’s vice president from January 2016-August 2018 and originally brought Gonzalez Pirez to Major League Soccer when he signed him to a deal in January 2017.
But McDonough bringing Gonzalez Pirez to Inter Miami is far from an acquisition rooted in familiarity. Gonzalez Pirez was named an MLS AllStar last season and was one of Atlanta United’s best players when they won the MLS Cup in 2018 and Open Cup in 2019.
So when McDonough had the chance to fortify Inter Miami’s backline with an accomplished
Inter Miami CF signed star defender Leandro Gonzalez Pirez on Wednesday.
MLS defender who’s in his prime, he jumped at the opportunity.
“He’s one of the best defenders in the league,” McDonough said. “His experience and abilities to win trophies and just a flat-out talent is a great asset for us to have with the team.”
Gonzalez Pirez fits the style Inter Miami wants to implement. He can seamlessly pair with fellow Argentine defender Nico Figal as the team’s central defenders, or could be the lone center back if Inter Miami decides to use three defenders in their starting formation.
Inter Miami coach Diego Alonso complimented Gonzalez Pirez’s ability to build the offense from the backline,
which is important in Alonso’s aggressive attacking scheme. Gonzalez Pirez’s first coach with Atlanta United — current Mexican men’s national team and former Barcelona coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino — implemented a similar style of play.
Gonzalez Pirez will have to wait until he can suit up with his teammates in an MLS match. He won’t be available during the MLS is Back Tournament — which Inter Miami kicks off against Orlando City SC at 8 p.m on July 8 at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. The league won’t allow designated players or players who were signed using targeted allocation money that were signed during the league’s transfer window to participate in the tournament.
Gonzalez Pirez traveled with Inter Miami to Orlando on Wednesday and will continue to train with the team.
“He has a great capacity to play in various roles across the backline, either when defending or attacking,” Alonso said about Gonzalez Pirez on Inter Miami’s website. “He’s a player with a great ability to play the ball out from the back. We’re very interested in center backs who can be the first actors to help the team play out from the back. He has these characteristics like his teammates, so that’s going to help us grow a lot.”
Gonzalez Pirez played 14 games with Mexican club
Tijuana before the Liga MX 2020 Clausura season was suspended and eventually canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
As for why he decided to join Inter Miami and return to MLS — just six months after transferring to the Xolos — Gonzalez Pirez said it was because of his love for the league and to win championships during the club’s first years in MLS.
“Personally, I would love to play in the All-Star Game again,” Gonzalez Pirez told Inter Miami’s website. “But my priority is the group’s objective. I’m here to win titles and I’ll try to give them all I have of myself to try to win the titles. I’ll do my best to give them something so they always remember me and the team for some happiness we give to the people.”