Matuidi’s Inter Miami future in doubt, Pizarro out as club’s roster shakeup continues
It is going to be a busy two weeks at the Inter Miami front office. Training camp opens Jan. 17, and the club is finalizing a handful of deals as part of a massive roster rebuild to improve the squad after a pair of disappointing seasons.
Two of the team’s three Designated Players -- Mexican midfielder Rodolfo Pizarro and French midfielder Blaise Matuidi – are not expected to be with the club in 2022. The third, Argentine forward Gonzalo Higuain, has been working out, will be back and is said to be highly motivated.
According to multiple sources, Mexican club Monterrey will announce this week that it is acquiring Pizarro on loan with an option to buy his contract. Monterrey, where Pizarro played prior to joining Miami, will pick up most of his $3.35 million salary, and the move clears $612,500 in salary cap space for Inter Miami. The deal does not include a loan fee, so it does not free up a DP spot for Miami.
If Pizarro does well in Liga MX and regains his spot on the Mexican national team, his value will increase, and Miami could sell him for a higher price in the future.
Matuidi’s future with the club is uncertain. Although the 34-year-old French World Cup winner has one year left on his contract, he is not expected to be part of the team’s plans. Coach Phil Neville and sporting director Chris Henderson, both of whom joined the club last winter, want to infuse the roster with youth, speed, and hunger after failing to make the playoffs last season.
Matuidi joined Miami from Juventus with much fanfare in the summer of 2020, but he did not have the impact expected from a player with a $1.5 million salary. He was benched for parts of the 2021 season.
It is unknown whether Matuidi will retire, join the club in an off-field role or whether he will be dealt to another club, but he likely has played his last game in an Inter Miami jersey. The team recently signed 28-year-old Brazilian midfielder Jean Mota from Santos and he will fill that role.
Inter Miami is in talks with a few playmakers, including Palmeiras midfielder Raphael Veiga. The departure of Matuidi would open a DP spot, but it is unclear whether the team would fill that spot before the season starts or in the summer.
Another starter on his way out is defender Leandro Gonzalez Pirez, who is headed to Argentine club River Plate on a one-year loan. The 29-year-old Argentine began his career at River in 2011 and played there three seasons. Inter Miami and River Plate are working out the final details of the deal and an announcement is expected soon.
Meanwhile, in the coming days, Miami will announce the re-signing of versatile veteran and fan favorite Brek Shea. Also, the team is adding two young, rising talents, 20-year-old midfielder Bryce Duke from Los Angeles FC and defender Christopher McVey, a 24-year-old Swedish American who plays for Elfsborg in Sweden.
Duke played 26 games for Los Angeles FC. The Arizona native played for the Real Salt Lake academy from 2016-18, and then joined the Barca FC Residency Academy in Arizona before joining LAFC.
McVey is 6-4 and joined Elfsborg at the age of 12. He is a dual national, so he would not take up an international roster spot.
In the past month Inter Miami added midfielder/fullback Mo Adams from Atlanta United for the rights to backup goalkeeper Dylan Castanheira, winger/forward Ariel Lassiter (son of former MLS star Roy Lassiter) from Houston Dynamo. The club also loaned Julian Carranza to Philadelphia Union, re-signed veteran midfielder Victor Ulloa and traded winger Lewis Morgan to the New York Red Bulls for $1.2 million in general allocation money.
In addition to making personnel moves to improve the roster, Miami needed to recoup revenue after being fined $2,271,250 in allocation funds in 2022 and 2023 as punishment for roster rules violations in the Matuidi contract.
The season opener is at home Feb. 26 against the Chicago Fire. Individual match tickets for the 17 home games are available through ticketmaster.com. Fans can also call 305-428-0611 for more information.
This story was originally published January 3, 2022 at 6:46 PM.