Blaise Matuidi in South Florida, could make Inter Miami debut as early as next week
Blaise Matuidi is here, will soon join his new Inter Miami teammates at training, and could make his MLS debut as early as next week.
The French World Cup-winning midfielder, who left Italian champion Juventus to continue his career with Major League Soccer, arrived in South Florida late last week. Per league COVID-19 rules, he must undergo testing and quarantine up to 10 days before he can integrate with his teammates and coaches.
Inter Miami, which lost Sunday night’s game 1-0 at Nashville SC, hits the road again Wednesday for a game at Atlanta United. Matuidi is not expected to be cleared to play for that game.
The next few games are Sept. 6 at home against Nashville SC, Sept. 9 at home against Atlanta United (the replay of the game that was called off for a Black Lives Matter protest), and Sept. 12 at Orlando City.
Matuidi, 33, is happy to be reunited with Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham, who was his teammate with Paris Saint Germain in 2013. Matuidi is known for his ball-winning and ability to link the defense with the attack, making players around him better. The club is still shopping for a prolific goal scorer to fill the final Designated Player slot.
“He’s undoubtedly a player of a very high caliber,” Inter Miami coach Diego Alonso said of Matuidi. “We were monitoring him for a while and luckily we were able to close the deal.
“He’s a very dynamic player. It’s something we’ve been on the lookout for. A player that can help the team be more dynamic, that contributes quality in midfield and who can help us make a jump forward.
“He’s a versatile player who can play in several positions, be it centrally or out wide in midfield. That speaks to his ability. We are very happy with what he can provide for us on the pitch. Off the field, all the reports we received are exceptional. He’s a great guy, a great professional that will help us improve.”
Signing a player with Matuidi’s resume proves Inter Miami has big goals, Alonso said.
“Bringing in a World Cup-winning player that was playing for Juventus and still has a lot of good football to give shows the club’s ambition, the ambition of each one of us that are a part of this organization. We want winning players, players with a great present and that can help us build a great future so that we can compete against the best teams in MLS.”
