Alonso out as coach
Inter Miami CF’s offseason overhaul continued Thursday, with the club now on the search for a new coach.
The club announced that Diego Alonso is out as head coach after the parties “mutually agreed to part ways.”
The decision wasn’t surprising and came three weeks after Alonso thought he was being fired following an end- of- season meeting with club ownership, with The Athletic reporting the 45- year- old Uruguayan told members of the club that he believed he wouldn’t be the coach anymore.
Inter Miami later confirmed via a spokesperson that the situation was a “miscommunication” and that Alonso was still
the team’s coach for the time being. However, he isn’t anymore, with Inter Miami further breaking down what it built in its inaugural Major League Soccer season.
“On behalf of the organization, I want to thank Diego for his hard work and dedication during our inaugural season and wish him the best in his future endeavors,” Inter Miami managing owner Jorge Mas said in a statement. Club ownership and management haven’t been made available for comment to the media since the season ended.
“This was a difficult year and a very tough decision for everyone, but we believe it is the right step for the club,” Mas’ statement continued. “We have great expectations for Inter Miami in the short and long term.”
Alonso’s official departure comes a day after multiple media outlets — including ESPN and Sky Sports News in the United Kingdom — reported that David Beckham, the club’s co- owner and president of soccer operations, has talked with former Manchester United teammate Phil Neville about coaching Inter Miami.
Neville, 43, has been the head coach of England’s women’s national soccer team since 2018, but he’s expected to leave the role when his contract expires in July.
Inter Miami didn’t respond when reached for comment about the reports.
Alonso joined Inter Miami after having multiple successful coaching stints in Mexico. He led Liga MX clubs C. F. Monterrey and Pachuca to CONCACAF Champions League titles to become the only head coach to win the CONCACAF Champions League with two different teams.
But Alonso didn’t experience the same success during his lone season with Inter Miami and in MLS.
Inter Miami finished the 2020 regular season with a 7- 13- 3 record ( 10th place in the 14- team Eastern Conference), squeaked into the MLS Cup playoffs by qualifying on the season’s final day in an expanded postseason format and was swiftly eliminated by fellow expansion team Nashville SC in a 3- 0 blowout in the playoffs’ play- in round on Nov. 20.
The timing of Alonso’s hire didn’t do him many favors. Paul McDonough — who stepped down as Inter Miami’s sporting director and COO last month — had constructed most of the roster by the time Alonso was hired on Dec. 30, 2019, which was just a few weeks before the start of training camp in late January.
The club signed multiple significant players after Alonso’s arrival, but key ones — including Leandro Gonzalez Pirez, Blaise Matuidi and Gonzalo Higuain — didn’t come until later in the season.
Inter Miami ultimately didn’t jell during its lone season — one shortened by the COVID- 19 pandemic — under Alonso and fell short of the lofty goals it had set at the beginning of the year, despite having one of the more talented and expensive rosters in MLS.
“We have big aspirations for our club,” McDonough stated at the time of Alonso’s hire, “and believe Diego has the right drive, passion and leadership to accomplish our goals.”
Alonso and McDonough — who The Athletic reported is heading back to Atlanta United FC — are already gone after Inter Miami’s disappointing first season.
And so are at least 10 players — and possibly more — from the team’s inaugural roster, with most of the players from last year’s team no longer under contract with Inter Miami not expected to return for 2021.
The aftermath of Alonso and McDonough’s departures remains to be seen, but Inter Miami is searching for new leaders to carry out the club’s visions on and off the field for 2021.
“Going through the journey of this inaugural season with Inter Miami has been an incredible experience, and I am thankful to the ownership group for the opportunity,” Alonso said in a statement. “I want to thank the staff for their work and friendship, the players for their efforts on the field, and especially the fans for their constant support throughout the year. I wish everyone the best this upcoming season.”