Inter Miami opens preseason camp with a new Argentine player, six signings to come

At long last, six years after David Beckham announced at a bayfront news conference that he was bringing Major League Soccer to Miami, 22 players in pink and black Inter Miami uniforms jogged onto the Barry University field Monday morning for the first training session in franchise history.

It was a historic day in a city that has been awaiting the return of MLS since the Miami Fusion folded nearly 20 years ago. The eyes of the soccer world — including 470,000 Instagram followers — have been on Inter Miami throughout the team launch. Monday’s preseason practice was further proof that the dream has become a reality.

“Every milestone we hit, everything becomes more real,” said Inter Miami sporting director Paul McDonough, who has been working tirelessly with his staff to complete the roster and get the facilities ready before the March start of the 2020 season. “Now we’ve got players, a coach, grass, preseason, six weeks and we’re kicking off March 1. It’s very real.”

The players and coaches gathered for the first time for dinner at Argentinian restaurant Graziano’s in Coral Gables on Saturday night, an appropriate choice considering half the players and most of the coaching staff are of Hispanic origin. Monday’s practice was conducted almost entirely in Spanish.

“It’s almost like the first day of school,” said goalkeeper Luis Robles, who spent the past eight years with the New York Red Bulls. “Everyone’s real excited to be on the field. Sunday, we had a great introduction to preseason camp by visiting the facilities [under construction in Fort Lauderdale], and that continues to add to the level of excitement.”

Twenty-two players reported to camp, including Argentine 25-year-old center back Nico Figal, who played for Independiente and has been called up to Argentina’s national team on a few occasions. Inter Miami is in conversations with Independiente to sign him, according to McDonough.

Six more players are expected to join the roster, McDonough said, including two long-awaited Designated Players – higher-paid players whose salaries can exceed the team’s salary cap.

“We still have some more players to sign, so hopefully that will happen this week, next week, we’re not ready yet,” McDonough said. “Preseason is six weeks. We’ve got a lot of guys in, so they’ll get integrated now. We’ll integrate the others as they come. It’s a long season, I’ve learned this from doing it a couple of times. We need to be patient and not do anything rash.”

Asked which positions he is looking to fill, McDonough said: “A couple of defenders, midfielders, and two attacking players. We’re six away...I feel very happy with the players we have here. Could we start this way? Yeah ... But we’re going to add some more special players and I think that will push us over the top.”

Roger Martinez (Club America, Mexico), Dorlan Pabon (Monterrey, Mexico), Agustin Almendra (Boca Juniors), and Lewis Morgan (Scotland) have all reportedly been in talks with the club.

Inter Miami has been linked to a long list of international superstars — names like James Rodriguez, Luis Suarez, Edinson Cavani, David Silva, to name a few. Asked what he would say to fans concerned they have not signed the star player co-owners Beckham and Jorge Mas had promised, McDonough replied:

“For me it’s more important that we put a team on the field that’s going to win. That might be a big name. Or, it might be a young player like Miguel Almiron (who went from Atlanta United to Newcastle in an MLS-record $27 million transfer) that’s going to come in here under the radar and all of a sudden when he gets in the league, people say, ‘Oh, I didn’t realize he was that good.’”

English media reported that Silva, the Manchester City veteran, is on his way to Inter Miami, and would likely start after his contract expires in June. But McDonough said Monday he doesn’t want to save a Designated Player spot until summer.

“I don’t think it makes sense to leave a designated spot for summer,” he said. “They’d play a full season until May, then tournaments like the Euros and Copa again, now you’re looking at getting them for 10 games; and I don’t think that’s what’s best for the club.”

McDonough put together the roster at expansion teams Orlando City and Atlanta United, so he has learned to block out noise.

“One of the things about being in Miami is that the fans do have very high expectations,” he said. “Fans are very educated here, so they’re going to hold us to very high standard, which I think is OK. We want that kind of pressure.”

For now, the objective is to get players and coaches acquainted, develop team chemistry, and bridge the language gap. Robles, whose father is Puerto Rican and mother is South Korean, vowed to improve on his limited Spanish. Head coach Diego Alonso, a Uruguayan who coached in Mexico, told the players he will work on his English.

“We have a blend of cultures, heavily Hispanic, and guys based in the United States, and need to find understanding between both sides,” Robles said. “[Alonso’s] lead, that he wants to learn English right away, will cause English guys to speak Spanish to bridge that gap.

“I realized right away that my Spanish is a lot better in text form than spoken. In order to help new guys navigate the challenges of this league, I’m going to have to speak to them in Spanish.”

Training camp continues this week at Barry University, and then the team will move to Port Saint Lucie and Bradenton before returning to Fort Lauderdale Feb. 7-14, then to St. Petersburg Feb. 15-23, and back to Fort Lauderdale.